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Compare flights from 100s of sites.

Save money on airfare by searching for cheap flight tickets on KAYAK. KAYAK searches for flight deals on hundreds of airline tickets sites to help you find the cheapest flights. Whether you are looking for a last minute flight or a cheap plane ticket for a later date, you can find the best deals faster at KAYAK.

New York Flights

• Flight Chicago - New York (ORD - LGA) $50+
• Flight Miami - Newark (MIA - EWR) $50+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Newark (FLL - EWR) $55+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - New York (FLL - LGA) $65+
• Flight Dallas - New York (DFW - LGA) $66+
• Flight Atlanta - Newark (ATL - EWR) $72+
• Flight Orlando - New York (MCO - LGA) $79+
• Flight Orlando - Newark (MCO - EWR) $84+
• Flight Miami - New York (MIA - LGA) $85+
• Flight Dallas - Newark (DFW - EWR) $86+
• Flight Chicago - Newark (ORD - EWR) $104+
• Flight Los Angeles - New York (LAX - LGA) $109+
• Flight Chicago - New York (ORD - JFK) $127+
• Flight San Francisco - New York (SFO - LGA) $140+
• Flight Los Angeles - Newark (LAX - EWR) $148+
• Flight San Francisco - Newark (SFO - EWR) $167+
• Flight Miami - New York (MIA - JFK) $171+
• Flight Burbank - Newark (BUR - EWR) $176+
• Flight Dallas - New York (DFW - JFK) $197+
• Flight Seattle - New York (SEA - JFK) $237+
• Flight Seattle - Newark (SEA - EWR) $256+
• Flight Ontario - New York (ONT - JFK) $276+
• Flight Los Angeles - New York (LAX - JFK) $279+
• Flight San Francisco - New York (SFO - JFK) $289+

Orlando Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Orlando (ATL - MCO) $37+
• Flight Philadelphia - Orlando (PHL - MCO) $42+
• Flight Houston - Orlando (HOU - MCO) $43+
• Flight Houston - Orlando (IAH - MCO) $43+
• Flight Baltimore - Orlando (BWI - MCO) $45+
• Flight Hartford - Orlando (BDL - MCO) $45+
• Flight Cincinnati - Orlando (CVG - MCO) $46+

London Flights

• Flight Newark - London (EWR - LHR) $325+
• Flight New York - London (JFK - LHR) $338+
• Flight New York - London (JFK - LGW) $358+
• Flight Newark - London (EWR - LGW) $359+
• Flight Boston - London (BOS - LHR) $368+
• Flight New Windsor - London (SWF - STN) $403+
• Flight Boston - London (BOS - LGW) $428+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - London (IAD - LHR) $458+
• Flight Atlanta - London (ATL - LHR) $487+

Fort Lauderdale Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Fort Lauderdale (ATL - FLL) $36+
• Flight Cleveland - Fort Lauderdale (CLE - FLL) $38+
• Flight Philadelphia - Fort Lauderdale (PHL - FLL) $45+
• Flight Baltimore - Fort Lauderdale (BWI - FLL) $50+
• Flight Chicago - Fort Lauderdale (ORD - FLL) $50+
• Flight Newark - Fort Lauderdale (EWR - FLL) $55+
• Flight Detroit - Fort Lauderdale (DTW - FLL) $60+

Boston Flights

• Flight Baltimore - Boston (BWI - BOS) $57+
• Flight Miami - Boston (MIA - BOS) $68+
• Flight Philadelphia - Boston (PHL - BOS) $68+
• Flight Orlando - Boston (MCO - BOS) $69+
• Flight Charlotte - Boston (CLT - BOS) $73+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Boston (FLL - BOS) $88+
• Flight Atlanta - Boston (ATL - BOS) $91+

India Flights

• Flight New York - Mumbai (JFK - BOM) $534+
• Flight New York - New Delhi (JFK - DEL) $578+
• Flight San Francisco - New Delhi (SFO - DEL) $597+
• Flight New York - Ahmedabad (JFK - AMD) $605+
• Flight Chicago - Hyderabad (ORD - HYD) $629+
• Flight New York - Bengaluru (JFK - BLR) $632+
• Flight New York - Chennai (JFK - MAA) $632+

Japan Flights

• Flight Los Angeles - Tokyo (LAX - NRT) $597+
• Flight San Francisco - Tokyo (SFO - NRT) $650+
• Flight Los Angeles - Tokyo (LAX - HND) $724+
• Flight Dallas - Tokyo (DFW - NRT) $750+
• Flight San Francisco - Tokyo (SFO - HND) $751+
• Flight Seattle - Tokyo (SEA - NRT) $806+
• Flight Chicago - Tokyo (ORD - NRT) $833+

Phoenix Flights

• Flight San Francisco - Phoenix (SFO - PHX) $38+
• Flight Dallas - Phoenix (DFW - PHX) $47+
• Flight Denver - Phoenix (DEN - PHX) $47+
• Flight Los Angeles - Phoenix (LAX - PHX) $48+
• Flight San Diego - Phoenix (SAN - PHX) $50+
• Flight Santa Ana - Phoenix (SNA - PHX) $69+
• Flight Portland - Phoenix (PDX - PHX) $70+

Honolulu Flights

• Flight Los Angeles - Honolulu (LAX - HNL) $161+
• Flight San Diego - Honolulu (SAN - HNL) $250+
• Flight Oakland - Honolulu (OAK - HNL) $256+
• Flight Ontario - Honolulu (ONT - HNL) $259+
• Flight San Francisco - Honolulu (SFO - HNL) $262+
• Flight San Jose - Honolulu (SJC - HNL) $262+
• Flight Las Vegas - Honolulu (LAS - HNL) $272+

Los Angeles Flights

• Flight Dallas - Los Angeles (DFW - LAX) $54+
• Flight San Francisco - Los Angeles (SFO - LAX) $64+
• Flight Denver - Los Angeles (DEN - LAX) $67+
• Flight San Jose - Los Angeles (SJC - LAX) $67+
• Flight Oakland - Los Angeles (OAK - LAX) $68+
• Flight Salt Lake City - Los Angeles (SLC - LAX) $68+
• Flight Portland - Los Angeles (PDX - LAX) $90+
• Flight Seattle - Los Angeles (SEA - LAX) $90+
• Flight Atlanta - Los Angeles (ATL - LAX) $99+

Chicago Flights

• Flight Denver - Chicago (DEN - ORD) $37+
• Flight Dallas - Chicago (DFW - ORD) $45+
• Flight Orlando - Chicago (MCO - ORD) $46+
• Flight New York - Chicago (LGA - ORD) $50+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Chicago (FLL - ORD) $58+
• Flight Philadelphia - Chicago (PHL - ORD) $62+
• Flight Los Angeles - Chicago (LAX - ORD) $68+

Denver Flights

• Flight Chicago - Denver (ORD - DEN) $48+
• Flight Minneapolis - Denver (MSP - DEN) $48+
• Flight Dallas - Denver (DFW - DEN) $52+
• Flight Atlanta - Denver (ATL - DEN) $58+
• Flight Los Angeles - Denver (LAX - DEN) $64+
• Flight Detroit - Denver (DTW - DEN) $67+
• Flight Houston - Denver (HOU - DEN) $67+

Washington, D.C. Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Baltimore (ATL - BWI) $37+
• Flight Boston - Baltimore (BOS - BWI) $56+
• Flight Dallas - Baltimore (DFW - BWI) $66+
• Flight Los Angeles - Baltimore (LAX - BWI) $78+
• Flight Chicago - Baltimore (ORD - BWI) $83+
• Flight Atlanta - Washington, D.C. (ATL - DCA) $96+
• Flight Dallas - Washington, D.C. (DFW - DCA) $99+
• Flight Houston - Washington, D.C. (HOU - DCA) $103+
• Flight Minneapolis - Washington, D.C. (MSP - DCA) $109+
• Flight San Francisco - Baltimore (SFO - BWI) $109+
• Flight San Francisco - Washington, D.C. (SFO - DCA) $118+
• Flight Boston - Washington, D.C. (BOS - DCA) $123+
• Flight Boston - Washington, D.C. (BOS - IAD) $129+
• Flight Seattle - Washington, D.C. (SEA - DCA) $135+
• Flight Chicago - Washington, D.C. (ORD - DCA) $144+
• Flight Los Angeles - Washington, D.C. (LAX - DCA) $151+
• Flight Detroit - Washington, D.C. (DTW - DCA) $169+
• Flight Seattle - Baltimore (SEA - BWI) $171+
• Flight Atlanta - Washington, D.C. (ATL - IAD) $184+
• Flight Dallas - Washington, D.C. (DFW - IAD) $217+
• Flight Los Angeles - Washington, D.C. (LAX - IAD) $220+
• Flight San Francisco - Washington, D.C. (SFO - IAD) $248+
• Flight Seattle - Washington, D.C. (SEA - IAD) $248+
• Flight Houston - Washington, D.C. (HOU - IAD) $268+

Atlanta Flights

• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Atlanta (FLL - ATL) $27+
• Flight Miami - Atlanta (MIA - ATL) $27+
• Flight Chicago - Atlanta (ORD - ATL) $36+
• Flight Chicago - Atlanta (MDW - ATL) $37+
• Flight Detroit - Atlanta (DTW - ATL) $40+
• Flight Philadelphia - Atlanta (PHL - ATL) $40+
• Flight Houston - Atlanta (HOU - ATL) $42+

United States Flights

• Flight Dallas - Las Vegas (DFW - LAS) $42+
• Flight Newark - Miami (EWR - MIA) $55+
• Flight New York - Orlando (LGA - MCO) $62+
• Flight New York - Dallas (LGA - DFW) $68+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - New York (FLL - LGA) $82+
• Flight Newark - Orlando (EWR - MCO) $85+

Hawaii Flights

• Flight Los Angeles - Hawaii (LAX - USHI) $187+
• Flight San Francisco - Hawaii (SFO - USHI) $199+
• Flight Ontario - Hawaii (ONT - USHI) $249+
• Flight San Jose - Hawaii (SJC - USHI) $253+
• Flight San Diego - Hawaii (SAN - USHI) $277+
• Flight Las Vegas - Hawaii (LAS - USHI) $279+
• Flight Seattle - Hawaii (SEA - USHI) $287+

Tampa Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Tampa (ATL - TPA) $48+
• Flight Chicago - Tampa (MDW - TPA) $58+
• Flight Trenton - Tampa (TTN - TPA) $58+
• Flight Philadelphia - Tampa (PHL - TPA) $62+
• Flight Detroit - Tampa (DTW - TPA) $65+
• Flight Baltimore - Tampa (BWI - TPA) $68+
• Flight Cleveland - Tampa (CLE - TPA) $73+

Houston Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Houston (ATL - IAH) $38+
• Flight Denver - Houston (DEN - IAH) $40+
• Flight Orlando - Houston (MCO - IAH) $45+
• Flight Chicago - Houston (ORD - IAH) $70+
• Flight Raleigh - Houston (RDU - IAH) $71+
• Flight Charlotte - Houston (CLT - IAH) $72+
• Flight Baltimore - Houston (BWI - IAH) $73+

Las Vegas Flights

• Flight Oakland - Las Vegas (OAK - LAS) $22+
• Flight Los Angeles - Las Vegas (LAX - LAS) $31+
• Flight Burbank - Las Vegas (BUR - LAS) $38+
• Flight San Francisco - Las Vegas (SFO - LAS) $58+
• Flight Santa Ana - Las Vegas (SNA - LAS) $64+
• Flight Denver - Las Vegas (DEN - LAS) $65+
• Flight Seattle - Las Vegas (SEA - LAS) $69+
• Flight Minneapolis - Las Vegas (MSP - LAS) $76+
• Flight Chicago - Las Vegas (ORD - LAS) $88+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Las Vegas (FLL - LAS) $91+
• Flight Houston - Las Vegas (HOU - LAS) $94+
• Flight Houston - Las Vegas (IAH - LAS) $94+
• Flight Atlanta - Las Vegas (ATL - LAS) $95+

Miami Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Miami (ATL - MIA) $37+
• Flight Raleigh - Miami (RDU - MIA) $38+
• Flight Philadelphia - Miami (PHL - MIA) $44+
• Flight Baltimore - Miami (BWI - MIA) $45+
• Flight Newark - Miami (EWR - MIA) $50+
• Flight Chicago - Miami (ORD - MIA) $58+
• Flight Detroit - Miami (DTW - MIA) $60+
• Flight Dallas - Miami (DFW - MIA) $67+
• Flight Boston - Miami (BOS - MIA) $68+
• Flight Charlotte - Miami (CLT - MIA) $73+
• Flight Houston - Miami (HOU - MIA) $73+
• Flight Houston - Miami (IAH - MIA) $73+
• Flight Cleveland - Miami (CLE - MIA) $82+
• Flight New York - Miami (LGA - MIA) $87+
• Flight Denver - Miami (DEN - MIA) $96+
• Flight Los Angeles - Miami (LAX - MIA) $117+
• Flight Minneapolis - Miami (MSP - MIA) $124+
• Flight Ontario - Miami (ONT - MIA) $138+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - Miami (DCA - MIA) $139+
• Flight San Francisco - Miami (SFO - MIA) $144+
• Flight Hartford - Miami (BDL - MIA) $168+
• Flight New York - Miami (JFK - MIA) $177+

San Francisco Flights

• Flight Ontario - San Francisco (ONT - SFO) $38+
• Flight San Diego - San Francisco (SAN - SFO) $48+
• Flight Phoenix - San Francisco (PHX - SFO) $58+
• Flight Los Angeles - San Francisco (LAX - SFO) $64+
• Flight Denver - San Francisco (DEN - SFO) $78+
• Flight Dallas - San Francisco (DFW - SFO) $88+
• Flight Baltimore - San Francisco (BWI - SFO) $93+
• Flight Chicago - San Francisco (MDW - SFO) $94+
• Flight Atlanta - San Francisco (ATL - SFO) $97+
• Flight Austin - San Francisco (AUS - SFO) $106+
• Flight Chicago - San Francisco (ORD - SFO) $107+
• Flight Minneapolis - San Francisco (MSP - SFO) $107+
• Flight Seattle - San Francisco (SEA - SFO) $118+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - San Francisco (DCA - SFO) $123+

Seattle Flights

• Flight Phoenix - Seattle (PHX - SEA) $74+
• Flight Denver - Seattle (DEN - SEA) $78+
• Flight Ontario - Seattle (ONT - SEA) $101+
• Flight Santa Ana - Seattle (SNA - SEA) $109+
• Flight Los Angeles - Seattle (LAX - SEA) $112+
• Flight Dallas - Seattle (DFW - SEA) $114+
• Flight Chicago - Seattle (ORD - SEA) $117+

Paris Flights

• Flight Washington, D.C. - Paris (IAD - CDG) $302+
• Flight New Windsor - Paris (SWF - CDG) $318+
• Flight Boston - Paris (BOS - CDG) $335+
• Flight Baltimore - Paris (BWI - CDG) $347+
• Flight Newark - Paris (EWR - ORY) $364+
• Flight New York - Paris (JFK - CDG) $391+
• Flight Newark - Paris (EWR - CDG) $409+

Europe Flights

• Flight New York - Rome (JFK - FCO) $331+
• Flight New York - London (JFK - LGW) $383+

Florida Flights

• Flight Baltimore - Florida (BWI - USFL) $45+
• Flight Philadelphia - Florida (PHL - USFL) $45+
• Flight Chicago - Florida (ORD - USFL) $50+
• Flight Newark - Florida (EWR - USFL) $55+
• Flight New York - Florida (LGA - USFL) $62+
• Flight Boston - Florida (BOS - USFL) $68+
• Flight Los Angeles - Florida (LAX - USFL) $118+

Dallas Flights

• Flight Chicago - Dallas (ORD - DFW) $42+
• Flight Atlanta - Dallas (ATL - DFW) $47+
• Flight San Diego - Dallas (SAN - DFW) $52+
• Flight Minneapolis - Dallas (MSP - DFW) $57+
• Flight Ontario - Dallas (ONT - DFW) $58+
• Flight Los Angeles - Dallas (LAX - DFW) $63+
• Flight Philadelphia - Dallas (PHL - DFW) $63+

San Diego Flights

• Flight Denver - San Diego (DEN - SAN) $38+
• Flight Dallas - San Diego (DFW - SAN) $47+
• Flight Phoenix - San Diego (PHX - SAN) $54+
• Flight San Jose - San Diego (SJC - SAN) $56+
• Flight Oakland - San Diego (OAK - SAN) $62+
• Flight San Francisco - San Diego (SFO - SAN) $63+
• Flight Portland - San Diego (PDX - SAN) $73+

Frequently asked questions

What do i need to know before booking a flight.

There are various factors to consider when booking a flight including cost, fare classes, baggage policies, the complications of flying long haul, and complying with airport regulations. To make your booking journey smoother KAYAK has developed a comprehensive flight guide including insights on finding affordable flights, packing efficiently, and utilizing the best travel tools.

Which month of the year are flight prices lowest?

It’s well established that flights in the low season are generally cheaper than ticket prices during the high season. That means that knowing which month to find the lowest priced plane tickets will depend heavily on seasonality and your destination. While avoiding peak travel times can help you keep costs down, our data shows that the month with the lowest priced plane tickets for domestic flights based on all searches made on KAYAK in the last 12 months was January, while the most expensive was March. If you’re booking an international flight, then January is the cheapest month to fly and June the most expensive.

Can flying international flights with a layover save money on airfare?

For many long-haul international flights, flying non-stop is not possible and you will have to fly with a layover. Some routes will offer both and you could consider flying with a layover for a number of reasons. Firstly, breaking up what would otherwise be a long-haul flight, taking a rest and then completing the journey might make the flight more manageable. Secondly, prices can also be lower than non-stop flights, so while it might take longer for you to reach your destination, you could save money. We’ve looked at prices over the last 12 months for the 100 most popular international destinations for KAYAK users and on average, prices for non-stop flights were cheaper than flights with a layover.

How do I find the best flight deals on KAYAK?

A simple flight search at https://www.kayak.com/flights scans for prices on hundreds of travel sites in seconds. We gather flight deals from across the web and put them in one place. Then on the search results page you can use various filters to compare options for the same flight and easily choose the best flight deal from all of the deals coming straight from the travel sites to your screen, with no extra fee from KAYAK.

Does KAYAK query more flight providers than competitors?

Yes, KAYAK has access to more data and information than online travel agencies and consistently outperforms the competition in accuracy, globally.

What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care?

Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you flights up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. That way, you can see if leaving a day or two earlier will find you a better deal. You can also select the flexible "weekend" or "month" search options to widen your search range and find the cheapest price that works for you.

What is the cheapest day of the week to book a flight?

The best day to book your flight depends on a number of factors, but there are general trends that you can follow to increase your chances of cheaper plane tickets. Based on an analysis of KAYAK data for all flights departing from inside United States over the last 12 months, the cheapest day to fly for domestic flights is Tuesday. For international flights, Thursday had the cheapest tickets on average.

When is the best time to buy plane tickets - Last minute or in advance?

Last minute flight deals are definitely up for grabs but when exactly to purchase your plane tickets will depend on where you’re traveling to and from. Based on all data for flight searches made on KAYAK over the last 12 months, prices for domestic flights remained below the average price up to 1 weeks before departure. For international flights, deals could still be had up to 1 weeks prior to the departure date, with prices remaining below average. If you’re flexible, KAYAK brings you both advance and last minute one-way and round-trip flight deals.

How does KAYAK find such low flight prices?

KAYAK processes over 2 billion flight queries annually and displays results from hundreds of airlines and third party sites, allowing it to find a variety of flight prices and options. It also displays results from 2M+ properties along with rental cars, vacation packages, activities and millions of verified reviews so users can see as many available travel options as possible.

How can Hacker Fares save me money?

Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets on different airlines when it can save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket.

How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a given destination and date is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

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You’re our first priority. Every time.

We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free.

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The Pros and Cons of Booking Through Online Travel Agencies

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

You’re likely already familiar with online travel agencies, even if you don’t travel often. These companies — such as Priceline , Expedia and Orbitz — act as intermediaries between you and a travel provider.

Booking your travel through an OTA can be a good idea in some circumstances, but you’ll want to be wary of its pitfalls. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of online travel agencies, so you’ll know what to use to book your next vacation.

Pros of booking through online travel agencies

There are certainly advantages booking through online travel agencies, though you’ll find different experiences whether you’re using public OTAs — such as Kayak — or private ones like those offered by your card issuer, such as the Chase's travel portal .

✅ It may be cheaper

When searching for flights online, you may see different prices for the same routes that vary across websites. Although it may be a result of fare type — for example, some search results may not clarify that a fare is basic economy rather than main cabin or economy — other times, the difference comes down to competition for your business.

Online travel services will often offer slightly lower prices on flights in an effort to entice you as a customer. This is true for both hotels and airlines.

» Learn more: Best credit cards for online travel-booking websites

✅ It can earn you more rewards

Have you ever heard of shopping portals ? By logging into a shopping portal, you can earn rewards for purchases made with many online merchants. Some hotel chains, such as Hilton , Marriott and IHG , can be accessed through shopping portals while still booking directly on the hotel website. In this way, you can earn rewards with the hotel directly as well as with the shopping portal.

The same isn’t true for shopping portals and most airline sites. However, many public online travel agencies are accessible through shopping portals, which can then earn you rewards for airfare bookings. By opting to book in this way, you’ll be able to earn points or cash-back rewards through the shopping portal that you’d otherwise miss.

Some card issuers will also reward you heavily when using their online travel services. Clear examples of this can be seen with Capital One and Chase. With the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card , for example, you’ll get 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel .

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is similar. With this card, you can get 10 Ultimate Rewards® points per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Chase's portal.

While these numbers are high, it’s important to remember that there are trade-offs when booking through an OTA rather than directly with a hotel or airline. We’ll get into that a little later.

Online travel agencies offered by your card issuer may not feature the same prices as booking directly; you’ll want to compare these before committing to a purchase.

Some card issuers will go so far as to give your points more value when redeeming through their online travel agencies.

This is true with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card . When redeeming points on Chase's travel portal, you’ll get 1.25 cents in value per point rather than 1 cent elsewhere.

» Learn more: How much are your airline miles and hotel points worth this year?

Cons of booking through online travel agencies

There are several downsides when it comes to using online travel services for booking travel. It mainly comes down to the fact that travel providers prefer that you book directly with them — and offer more perks to woo your business.

❌ It can be harder to change a booking

Ever needed to change a flight after it's booked? No matter the reason, attempting to alter or otherwise cancel a flight can be a hassle — especially if you’ve booked through a third party.

Generally speaking, rather than offering you direct assistance, both hotels and airlines will recommend you contact the online travel agency you’ve booked with in order to make any changes.

While you may be able to make changes or get refunds with the travel agency, airlines and hotels can — and will — offer much more flexibility when you’ve booked with them directly. You may also be subject to additional fees charged by the online travel agency, which can erase any savings you’ve received.

❌ You may not receive elite benefits

This is the real kicker for anyone wanting elite status. Although airlines will almost always recognize your elite status and allow you to earn miles even for bookings made through an online travel agency, hotels and rental car companies will not.

This is especially important for hotel chains. Earning elite status with hotels generally relies on elite night credits. Although these can be earned in a variety of ways — including having complimentary status by holding certain credit cards — the main method of acquiring elite night credits is by spending nights in hotels. Rooms booked through an online travel agency do not count toward elite status as elite night credits.

Additionally, you will not receive any of the benefits of your existing elite status if your booking is through a third party. This can mean the loss of perks such as room upgrades, complimentary breakfast and even free Wi-Fi.

» Learn more: The best airline and hotel rewards loyalty programs this year

❌ It may be more expensive

Did you know that many hotel chains have best price guarantees? Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott and IHG all have a guarantee that’ll give you either points or a discount if you find a better rate elsewhere.

These guarantees are generous; Hilton, for example, will match the rate and then discount it by a further 25%.

Although you’ll need to file claims for these guarantees and they face limitations — such as a 24-hour window from when you made the booking — you can save a lot of money on your stay if your request is approved.

Online travel agencies can be hit or miss

There are two sides to every coin and this is no different, as there are several benefits and limitations of online travel services. Depending on your needs and loyalty program status, you’ll want to choose whether to book directly with a travel provider or rely on OTAs to do the job for you.

Booking travel through credit card portals from issuers like Chase and Capital One can earn you big rewards. But if you anticipate altering your travel plans or aim to earn elite status instead, booking directly is the way to go.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1.5%-6.5% Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

$300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

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Best Online Travel Agencies

Booking.com is our top choice for making your trip arrangements

Ligaya Malones is an editor, blogger, and freelance writer specializing in food and travel. Ligaya's work has appeared in publications including Lonely Planet and BRIDES.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Planning a trip can be easier through an online travel agency than if you handle each aspect of the planning separately. You can book hotels, air travel, rental cars, and more through a single site, and booking everything together sometimes results in discounts. By inputting a destination, a range of dates, and other preferences, you will see a list of options for each aspect of travel.

The best online travel agencies offer options from the largest number of airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, and more. Look for sites that offer discounts for combining reservations for different aspects of your trip. For example, the best sites will have lower rates if you book both plane tickets and a hotel through their services. The best sites also provide reviews from customers who actually have booked through the service. These are our top picks.

• Best Overall: Booking.com
• Best Budget: Skyscanner
• Best Price Predictor: Hopper
• Most Innovative: Kiwi.com
• Best for Eco-Conscious: Kind Traveler
• Best for Social Impact: I Like Local
• Best for Design-Forward Homestays: Plum Guide
• Our Top Picks
• Booking.com

Kind Traveler

I Like Local

• See More (4)

Final Verdict

Frequently asked questions, methodology, best overall : booking.com.

 Booking.com

This industry leader offers one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms on the Internet.

Lots of options to choose from

Interface is easy to use

Numerous filters to customize your search

Tricky to tell whether changes/cancellations can be made with Booking.com or the vendor directly

Booking.com was founded in 1996 and has grown into an industry leader that stands out for being one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms out there. From one website, you can compare and book accommodations, flights (including one-way and multi-city flights), sightseeing activities, and even airport taxis. The website lists more than 28 million accommodation options, from hotels, hostels, and B&Bs to vacation homes and luxury resorts—you can browse more choices per destination on Booking.com than other online travel agencies. The website also performs well on cost and typically returns lower-than-average prices for flights and hotels. 

Booking.com's interface is also easy to use. On the home page, search for a hotel by entering your chosen destination and dates. Then, use the extensive list of filters—such as price range and distance from the city center—to narrow the results down and find the best fit. You can also search for a specific hotel, or seek inspiration by clicking through options grouped by destination or property type or by topic such as the country’s best Michelin-starred hotel restaurants or the top cities for vegan travelers. The flights, car rental, and other tabs are just as intuitive. 

Best Budget : Skyscanner

 Skyscanner

You can compare prices across airlines, hotels, and car rentals.

Simple interface

Option to toggle searches between specific dates or by monthly calendars

Search Everywhere button is great for spontaneous planners

Extra clicks are required to make a final purchase

Must read fine print for changes/cancellations—may need to deal directly with the vendor

Ads on the sidebar can be distracting

Find deals on airfare, hotels, and car rentals with an aggregator site like Skyscanner , which uses a metasearch engine to compare prices from all online travel agencies and the airline, hotel, or car rental company in question. Run searches with fixed dates, opt to compare airfare prices month to month, or click “Cheapest Month.” Searches also include options for nearby airports or non-stop flights only. With hotel searches, you can choose to select only from properties with free cancellation, a cleanliness rating of 4.5/5 or higher, or 3- or 4-starred hotels only. Car rental searches include an option to select “return car to different location.”

Once you’ve found the best rate, click on the link to be redirected to the third-party site to make your booking. Feeling spontaneous? The Search Everywhere button on the homepage offers a list of the cheapest flight deals for destinations both locally and across the world—just plug in your departure airport first.

Best Price Predictor : Hopper

The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting when flights and hotel rates will be cheapest.

Color-coded system makes it easy to determine cheapest days to buy

App is easy to use

Option to track flights and receive alerts when the best time to buy arises

Some have mentioned the app functions better as a research tool than a booking tool

Unclear whether Hopper will price match if you find a cheaper flight elsewhere

Hopper is a travel app available on iOS and Android that aims to help travelers save on airfare by usng historical data and their own algorithm to predict when flights will be cheapest. Just type in where and when you’d like to fly and Hopper will present you with a color-coded pricing calendar indicating how much tickets are likely to cost. (Green is the least expensive, then yellow, orange, and red for most expensive.) Hopper will also recommend you either buy now or wait, or you can choose to watch a trip and receive notifications on the best time to buy. In addition, the app has expanded to offer hotel and car rental price predictions, too.

Some newer features since the app’s inception in 2009 include an option to freeze a price for a limited time—for an extra fee—as well as exclusive app-only discounts. Hopper is free to download, and you can choose to book directly through the app, though some users mentioned they use Hopper as more of a research tool before booking directly with the airline or hotel. The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting flight rates up to a year ahead.

Most Innovative : Kiwi.com

This metasearch engine scours the web to piece together the ideal itinerary using planes, trains, buses, and more.

Creative itineraries get you where you need to go, especially if you’ve got a multi-stop trip

Kiwi Guarantee offers rebooking or cancellation protections

Nomad option appeals to travelers with a lot of flexibility

Creative itineraries mean you may not fly out of the same airport you flew into

Kiwi Guarantee has an additional fee

Charges all-in-one fee for booking flights, trains, buses (though you can always purchase a la carte)

Travelers planning multi-city destinations and seeking a bargain, as well as those looking to take planes, trains, and automobiles to get there, might consider Kiwi . Kiwi is a metasearch engine that scours and pieces together itineraries from various airlines (even if they don’t have a codeshare agreement), considers multiple airports (even if your arrival airport is different from departure), and offers booking options, whether you’re looking at very specific dates or more general ones (up to 60 nights).

Some will find the ability to make multiple bookings for a particular trip more convenient than going at it manually several different times, though note that you must opt into the Kiwi Guarantee program to access rebooking and refund protections should your reservation change or be canceled. Kiwi’s Nomad option allows you to plug in a bunch of destinations you’d like to visit and the length of your intended stay, and the website will churn out the most affordable itineraries for review.

Best for Eco-Conscious : Kind Traveler

A give-and-get business model means booking accommodations with exclusive perks, a donation to environmental organizations, and more.

All participating hotels include a local give-back component

Exclusive savings and perks

Participating hotels are located in some of the most beautiful places in the world

Inventory is much smaller compared to other booking platforms

Some of the amenities mentioned are based on availability only

In 2022, Kind Traveler (an online trave agency focused on hotel bookings) announced an increase in environmentally and socially conscious hotels, charity donations, voluntourism opportunities, and additional perks like waived resort fees or a welcome amenity.

Unlock exclusive hotel rates and perks from participating Kind Traveler hotels with a minimum $10/night minimum donation to a local charity. For example, stay at the Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives and receive up to $33 off the nightly rate and perks such as a food and beverage credit and an Earth Lab or Alchemy Bar workshop when you make a donation to Manta Trust. The organization funds coastal research to protect the island nation’s large yet fragile population of reef mantas.

Select from more than 140 participating hotels from the Hawaiian Islands to Bozeman, Montana, and the Maldives. Charities include wildlife, human rights, arts, education, and environmental preservation organizations.

Best for Social Impact : I Like Local

Choose from a host of travel experiences with the peace of mind that 100 percent of the cost goes directly to local partners.

Social impact mission woven into organization’s business model

Immersive experiences led by local guides

Range of experiences offered

May not be best fit for those seeking upscale, luxury experiences and stays

Can’t sort experiences by a list of countries (though an interactive map is available)

No experiences outside of Africa and Asia

For an online travel agency with a booking platform designed to route dollars spent directly to the communities travelers intend to visit, consider I Like Local . Visit the website to browse a host of travel experiences in countries including Indonesia, Kenya, and Cambodia. Experiences include homestays and farmstays as well as wellness and culturally oriented experiences—from cooking and cycling tours to weaving classes.

To search for an experience, select from drop-down items like travel dates and experience categories, or view a global map and click on a country to view experiences that way.

The platform got its start in 2014 and has grown to 4,000 local hosts across nearly 20 countries. As a social impact organization, 100 percent of each booking fee goes to local hosts. To date, 16,000 travelers have booked with I Like Local.

Best for Design-Forward Homestays : Plum Guide

Browse and book seriously vetted, design-forward vacation homes.

Highly curated inventory of vacation rentals across the world

Design-forward

Thorough vetting process

Does not publish guest reviews

Other platforms have homes available across more destinations

When it comes to booking a vacation home, serviced apartment, or condo, travelers are spoiled for choice. Plum Guide is an online travel agency that specializes in accommodations—though not just any home makes its directory. The company claims that each potential home listed on its site must jump through 150 hoops to be included, from internet speed and mattress and pillow quality to the showers’ water pressure and the home’s proximity to dining, shopping, and attractions.

Search by a featured collection on the website such as “ pet-friendly homes ” or “one-of-a-kind homes in Palm Springs.” Scroll to the bottom of its homepage to view its top destinations, as well as a list of all destinations where Plum Guide homes are available, including Barbados, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland, the U.S., and Turkey. Note: From the top right-hand corner of the site, use the dropdown menu to select currency of choice.

As long as you know what you value most out of your travel experience—such as affordability, social impact, or luxe accommodations—there’s an online travel agency to help plan your next trip. Be sure to read the fine print, as some agencies are third-party websites and not direct vendors. If you're not sure where to start, Booking.com is your best bet for a smooth user experience and hard-to-beat offers on flights, hotels, and other travel arrangements.

What Is the Biggest Travel Agency?

Our choice for best overall, Booking.com, is known as an industry leader with listings for all major hotels, airlines, car rental companies, and more. It boasts more choices for accommodations per destination than any other site, and we found its interface to be user-friendly.

Are Online Travel Agencies Worth It?

This depends on your needs and priorities. The best online travel agencies certainly can save time by booking everything all at once. However, if you're someone who is good at haggling and enjoys the details of planning a trip, you might be able to find better deals by reaching out to hotels or other destinations and speaking to someone personally.

Is It Cheaper to Book Online Than With a Travel Agent?

Not always. A travel agent you know and trust should have the experience and connections to find deals that can match or surpass what you'll find online. Additionally, if something goes wrong, travel agents provide you with an actual person you can use as an advocate to correct the problem . But if you don't have access to a good travel agent, online sites still provide plenty of ways to streamline planning and save money .

We considered dozens of online travel agencies and narrowed down the options based on user experience, volume and quality of inventory, unique offerings and specials, and customer reviews. We also assessed travel companies’ environmentally and socially conscious policies.

Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images

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What Are OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) and Should You Book With One?

Scott Keyes

August 7, 2023

There are two ways to buy flights online: directly with the airline, or via an online travel agency.

Though buying directly with the airline is self-explanatory, online travel agencies (also known as OTAs) are a bit more complicated. When Going sends our members cheap flights , we typically recommend you book directly with the airline, as there are some clear benefits of doing so, but sometimes we'll point you to an OTA if the fare is significantly cheaper there.

And since one of the top questions travelers have is whether a given OTA is reliable, it’s helpful to understand more about what OTAs are before deciding for yourself if the potential savings are worth it.

What are online travel agencies?

Online travel agencies are companies that sell you flights, online. They act as a middleman between airlines and consumers, though their prices can often be cheaper than booking direct.

Most people are familiar with top OTAs like Expedia , Orbitz , Travelocity , Hopper, and Priceline . There are hundreds, if not thousands, of smaller OTAs as well, and more pop up all the time. Some smaller ones include OneTravel, Kiwi, GotoGate, JustFly, Vayama, Tripsta, TravelMerry, ExploreTrip, Kiss&Fly, Webjet, Travelgenio, Bookairfare, Fareboom, Skybooker, Travel2be, OneTwoTrip!, and eBookers.

How do online travel agencies work?

Online travel agencies work by plugging into a “ global distribution system ,” which is a fancy name for the market where airlines tell distributors what they’re charging for their flights.

When you book directly on an airline’s website, your ticket typically gets issued almost immediately. That’s because the airline is both the seller and provider of the ticket, so it’s rare that their system allows them to sell something they don’t actually have in stock.

With OTAs, especially smaller ones, there’s a delay between when you purchase the ticket and when you’re issued the ticket. That’s because, unlike the airlines, OTAs don’t actually have the tickets they sell. Instead, the OTA is the middleman, connecting customers with airlines and taking a small commission from the airline in the process.

When you click to buy a roundtrip Delta flight from New York to London for $400, what happens is the OTA charges your credit card $400, then turns around and checks with Delta to make sure that ticket is available at that price. This process can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours; each OTA is different and there are a ton of variables impacting transaction time.

But unlike most middlemen, OTAs don’t typically jack up the price. In fact, they usually offer the same price—and often times a lower price—than you’ll find directly with an airline.

Why are fares sometimes cheaper on online travel agencies?

There are a few reasons why OTAs can sometimes offer cheaper fares than booking directly with an airline. They might:

• Sell flights less than cost . OTAs may sell fares for less than they cost, either as a loss leader (in the hopes you’ll book additional add-ons like a hotel or rental car) or in order to accrue market share (hoping you’ll book your next trip with them as well)
• Pass on the commission . Airlines dole out a commission every time a traveler books their flight through an OTA. The OTA, in turn, may pass some or all of that commission on to consumers
• Specific discounts . Airlines regularly negotiate with OTAs to allow them to sell certain flights at a discount. The airline may not want the lower fare broadcast too widely, so only one or two OTAs are given the discounted rate.
• Less customer support . Many smaller OTAs save money and offer lower fares by skimping on customer support.
• Big change/cancellation fees . Many smaller OTAs charge inflated change or cancellation fees in order to offer lower prices initially.

What benefit can online travel agencies have?

It can be cheaper.  The main benefit of OTAs is they are often cheaper than booking directly with an airline. The same flight selling on United.com for $600 may cost $500 on an OTA, for example.

You can combine airlines for the perfect itinerary. Some OTAs like Kiwi let you purchase multi-airline itineraries. Airlines will only sell you their own flights (or partner airlines’ flights). Some OTAs, on the other hand, will let you buy a single itinerary that crosses the ocean on Delta, say, but then take your final leg on Ryanair.

What drawbacks can online travel agencies have?

The 24-hour rule may not apply. One of the best tools to have in your back pocket when buying flights is the 24-hour rule , which lets you cancel a ticket you booked without any penalty as long as you do so within 24 hours of purchase. This protection is guaranteed by the federal government, but only when you book directly with an airline . Some OTAs like Priceline offer their own 24-hour guarantee, but it’s not required by law and most OTAs make all sales final.

Customer service can be lacking. OTAs, especially smaller ones, often skimp on customer support. This can range from outsourced and minimally-staffed call centers to exorbitant fees if you need to change or cancel your ticket. Of course, this lack of support is part of how OTAs offer lower fares to begin with.

If things go wrong, it gets complicated. In addition, having a middleman can complicate any mishaps because airlines will tell you to coordinate any issues through the OTA rather than directly with the airline. And the OTA may turn around and push things back on the airline, leaving you stuck in the middle.

Mistake Fares are less likely to be honored. Finally, when there’s a Mistake Fare , booking through an OTA carries some risks. Think back to how OTAs operate. Unlike booking directly with an airline, booking through an OTA means going through a middleman, which can delay how quickly you receive your ticket after clicking purchase. For normal fares this rarely makes a difference because the fare is far less likely to imminently change. But for Mistake Fares, which can disappear any minute, that delay in receiving your ticket can be the difference between your purchase being honored and it being politely refunded with the quoted fare no longer being available.

This delay between purchasing and ticketing is one of the reasons why we recommend people wait a week or two before making any non-refundable travel plans. But once you’ve got an e-ticket number with the airline and can see your itinerary on the airline’s website, you should be all set.

How do OTAs make money? 

Online travel agencies make money by taking a commission from the airline, hotel, car rental agency, or cruise line when you book.

(At Going, we don't take any commissions from the airlines when we send our members deals. We make money when members pay for our services, which means our number one priority is making members happy, not getting them to book specific flights that line our pockets.)

Am I going to get scammed by online travel agencies?

If you’re worried that a smaller OTA will take your money and not give you a ticket, don’t be.

The worst you can expect is that, on occasion, you purchased a fare that no longer existed when you bought it. If that happens, they will reach out to you (almost always within 48 hours or less) to tell you your ticket can’t be sold at that price. At that point, you’re given the option to either purchase at a higher price or have the entire transaction voided and your money refunded.

Why do some online travel agencies have terrible reviews?

It's true that some online travel agencies have bad reviews. Does that mean you shouldn't use them? There are two schools of thought here.

The first is that these reviews are worthwhile because other people’s experiences can be instructive.

The second is that the nature of internet reviews tends to skew towards negative experiences. How many people whose flight was uneventful are then motivated to go back and write a review for the OTA they purchased it from?

Another other reason it can be worthwhile to take a nuanced approach to negative reviews is that they tend to come from folks who didn’t understand how smaller OTAs operate. They may have been unaware of the higher change/cancellation fees, outsourced customer service representatives, or the delay between purchasing and ticketing. Obviously those aspects of smaller OTAs aren’t ideal, but its those factors that also allow for often-substantial price savings.

Are all airlines listed on OTAs? 

No, unfortunately not all airlines are listed on all search sites. Notably in the US, Southwest fares aren't listed on Google Flights. Often, smaller regional carriers don't work with the large OTAs so you'll need to search those directly.

Should I book through an OTA or directly with an airline?

This is the million-dollar question. On the one hand, an OTA fare may be hundreds of dollars cheaper than booking directly. On the other hand, it’s completely understandable to be hesitant about booking a flight through an OTA you’ve never heard of before.

There are a few cut-and-dry situations. If the price is the same booking directly with the airline versus booking through an OTA, there’s almost never a reason to book through the OTA.

Conversely, if the OTA price is over $500 off the direct price, of course an OTA is the way to go.

But for more gray-area situations, it mostly comes down to a personal comfort level.

Questions to consider:

• How certain are you to take that specific flight? If there’s more than a 10% chance you’ll want to change or cancel your flights, the initial cost savings may not be worth the potential fees for altering your plans.
• Are the potential savings worth it? If the OTA savings is $5, most people would be wise just to book direct. If the savings start to become substantial, it starts to become a matter of individual comfort. Is paying an extra $50 worth the extra peace of mind of booking directly? $100? $200?
• Is it a Mistake Fare? Because booking through an OTA can lessen the chance a mistake fare is honored, the potential savings should be higher to make it worth it. Someone may prefer to book through an OTA if the savings exceed $50, but might increase that savings threshold to $100 if it’s a mistake fare, for instance.

Join Going and save up to 90% on your next flight. We're not an OTA—we just let you know when fares drop to amazing prices that can save you hundreds.

Founder & Chief Flight Expert

Published August 7, 2023

Last updated January 9, 2024

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The Complete Guide to Booking Travel Online

What is an online travel agency, and what are the best sites and apps to use to search for hotels and flights we break it all down for you..

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There’s a lot to navigate when researching and booking travel online.

Photo by Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

My first travel adventure was to Venezuela. I booked the ticket with a travel agent over a pay phone. The agent searched a dozen flight itineraries over a few days, all so I could save $15.

Times have changed. Today, flight searches start online , often on your mobile device. Passengers book either directly with the airline or hotel or with online travel agencies. Rarely do we get on the phone. In fact, American Airlines and United Airlines charge $25 to make a domestic flight booking by phone. And pay phones hardly exist anymore.

So, what is the best way to book online? Here is our complete guide to online travel agencies, search tools, and the variety of booking options available on both mobile devices and desktops.

What is an OTA?

An online travel agency, or OTA, is a website or mobile app that allows users to search for and book travel services such as flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and activities. The booking is made directly with the online travel agency but confirmed by the service provider, such as an airline or a hotel. As a customer, your relationship is with the OTA.

What are the main OTAs?

Many online travel agencies nowadays are owned by two main companies: Expedia and Priceline. The Expedia Group is the largest online travel agency in the United States with 70 percent market share, according to travel data firm Phocuswright. Expedia Group operates Expedia.com , Orbitz, Hotels.com , Trivago, CheapTickets , Hotwire , Vrbo , and Travelocity .

Priceline is a major competitor to Expedia, with global revenues larger than the Expedia Group. The company owns Priceline.com, Booking.com, Cheapflights, Momondo, and Kayak—the latter two being metasearch engines (more on that below).

There are also independent newcomers such as Hopper (a mobile-only booking tool) and Kiwi.com (which allows you to book flights on air carriers that don’t normally have a commercial relationship).

Are OTA fares lower than booking directly?

Generally, no. The fares that are displayed by an OTA will be similar if not slightly more expensive when compared to an airline’s website. They’re usually only a few dollars higher or lower. The OTAs charge a booking fee to the airlines, and often that fee is passed directly to consumers. For example, Lufthansa tacks on an additional $18 to any booking made through an OTA for Lufthansa flights. The same flights are exactly $18 cheaper on the airline’s website.

Where you can score a good travel deal through an OTA is when booking a last-minute hotel and flight package. Many OTAs have cut agreements with airlines allowing last-minute travelers to access lower rates than are typically available when passengers book a flight alone.

Are all airlines available to be booked through OTAs?

No. Many OTAs do not display flights from some of the low-fare leaders. For example, Southwest and Allegiant flights are not available through OTAs; the same goes for Ryanair in Europe. And, earlier this year United Airlines threatened to pull out of Expedia altogether, only recently signing a multi-year agreement to stay in. The airlines would rather not lose any margin to online travel agencies in an already low-margin industry and would rather maintain a direct relationship with the customer.

Are smaller OTAs safe to use?

Expedia and Priceline are the two largest players in the online booking space, but there are dozens of independent OTAs, such as CheapOAir, OneTravel, JustFly, and SmartFares. Confusingly, you might actually stumble on ads for these OTAs while using Expedia or Priceline sites. That’s because the larger OTAs earn revenue through advertising, sending passengers to smaller OTAs and charging those OTAs for the favor.

Buyer beware: some of these lesser-known OTAs are masters at hidden fees. For example, a flight search on JetBlue allows for free seat selection in many instances. If you perform the same search on FlightNetwork, an independent OTA, and select a seat, you will be charged an additional $25—despite the fact that JetBlue doesn’t charge a seat selection fee if you book directly.

What if you need to change your itinerary?

Itinerary changes are often a pain. If your plans change, it won’t matter whether you’ve booked directly with an airline or with an OTA—you’re going to pay fees for the privilege, if you can even change your ticket at all.

For example, CheapTickets.com, which is part of the Expedia Group, charges $25 to change or cancel a ticket if that change is requested after 24 hours of making the booking—it is free if you do so within 24 hours of booking. However, the fees go up from there. JustFly, an independent OTA, charges a $75 fee for changes to domestic flights in addition to airline change fees, plus the difference in fare, for tickets that can be changed. For an international trip, the fee rises to $200. That means to change an international flight with Delta (which charges a $100 change fee) booked through JustFly, you’ll be assessed $300 in fees, plus the difference in fare. At that rate, you may as well book a new flight. FlightNetwork indicates in its terms of service that changes may incur a change fee but doesn’t specify what those fees are. That hardly makes the few dollars you saved by booking with the OTA in the first place worth it.

What is an OTA price match policy?

To assure travelers that they are getting the lowest fare possible, many OTAs have a price match policy. The rules vary and so do the benefits.

For example, if you book with Orbitz and find a less expensive flight, car rental, or activity on any U.S.-based website within 24 hours of your booking, Orbitz will refund you the difference you paid. And it works: I have personally found a flight in the same class, on the same airline, for the same origin and destination cities, and requested Orbitz to refund the difference of around $35. Within a few weeks, I received a check in the mail. A similar program applies for CheapOAir, but there’s a catch—the price difference must be found on a major OTA such as Expedia or Travelocity.

Expedia has a particularly good price match policy, but you have to pay extra for it at the time of booking. Expedia offers the price match option as an add-on that costs between $5 and $30 when you book. With the price match applied, if the airfare on Expedia drops between 120 days of the flight and up to six hours before the flight, Expedia will automatically refund you the difference in fare. Unfortunately, fares generally do not drop substantially as the travel date approaches, so while this might give you peace of mind, it’s probably not worth the expense.

How do Google Flights and other travel metasearch engines work?

Frequent fliers are likely familiar with websites such as Google Flights, Kayak, Momondo, or Skyscanner. On these websites, passengers search on the site but are redirected to the service provider to complete the booking, such as an airline, rental car company, or hotel.

Metasearch started with a product called ITA Matrix, which is a tool for searching airfares online but not for actually booking online. ITA Matrix allows for multi-city searching, such as setting two different departure or arrival airports, and for offering a calendar view of fares for easier comparison. That company was acquired by Google in 2011, and savvy travelers swear by it to help find the least expensive fares online. Most consumers are more familiar with Google Flights, which has gained traction more recently not least because it has the benefit of being displayed first in search results on Google.

Metasearch engines receive distribution fees from the airlines for sending traffic to the supplier websites. There are no additional hidden fees for using a metasearch engine because you’re booking directly with the airline or hotel.

A major benefit of the metasearch engines is their price tracking tool, which lets users know whether the displayed fares are low, average, or high for the flight, allowing travelers to make a more informed decision on whether to book a flight or not . Google Flights and Kayak, for instance, both have price tracking tools.

Why not just book directly?

The airlines would definitely much rather you book directly with them. Over the past five years, they have gotten much better at marketing and selling their product directly to consumers online and through mobile sites and apps. But in the past, they weren’t so good at it. In fact, Delta, Northwest, United, American, and Continental got together to invest $145 million to launch Orbitz in 1999 to counter the threat from Expedia. Now Orbitz is owned by Expedia.

The airlines also try to encourage customers to book directly so that they can maintain a closer relationship with them. It allows carriers to connect bookings with loyalty programs and create special offers and discounts catered to individual passengers.

There is another benefit to booking directly. The U.S. Department of Transportation requires carriers to hold a reservation at the quoted fare for 24 hours without payment or allow a reservation to be cancelled within 24 hours without penalty, so long as the booking is made at least seven days before travel. The law applies, however, only to U.S. and foreign air carriers that have websites marketed to U.S. consumers. This means that, in theory, an online travel agency does not have to offer such a policy, although most OTAs do.

What are the options for booking on your mobile device?

Airlines and the major OTAs all have apps to help you book and manage your trip on your mobile device, but their functionality is lacking compared to these websites’ desktop editions. For example, Expedia’s app doesn’t allow you to view flights on a month-view calendar. Kayak has an app with more bells and whistles and a better user interface, including a month-view calendar with color-coded pricing. It also has a handy “augmented reality” function to help you see if your carry-on bag will fit in the overhead bin (a feature originally developed by KLM). Point your phone’s camera at the luggage, and it’ll give you the dimensions.

While apps are improving and gaining in popularity, you still might find it easier to locate the best deals on flights and hotels by using your desktop, where you can have multiple tabs open and have all the available search tools at your disposal. Apps are fine for booking directly with an airline once you know which flights you want to book.

If you’re determined to use your mobile device, you may want to look into Hopper. Hopper is a mobile-first flight booking tool that has a solid price prediction tool. You can research travel options and book directly on the app. Another benefit of Hopper: Of its team of 300 employees, nearly half are dedicated to customer support and are based in Canada versus some OTAs and airlines that outsource much of their customer service further afield.

The bottom line?

Like many travelers, I enjoy a flight deal as much as the next person, but I also don’t like any added hassle. I typically start my travel searches using the ITA Matrix or Google Flights to get a general sense of the fares. It helps to know what is a good deal and what is expensive for a particular route. I do my research, typically on a desktop computer. When I’m ready to book, I’ll book directly with the airline. I’ve found that customer service is better when booking directly with the service provider. But I’ve also saved money by using OTAs and have booked with them, too. Whichever way you choose to book, you can be safe in the knowledge that finding and purchasing travel online is a lot easier today than searching for a deal with a travel agent on a pay phone.

>> Next: How to Get the Best Last-Minute Travel Deals

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Looking for the best time to buy airline tickets to get a cheap flight to everywhere? We’ve got you covered anytime, anywhere. Here’s how to find the best deal for flight booking no matter where you want to go in the world.

Which day of the week is the best day to buy cheap airline tickets?

For both U.S. domestic and international travel, Sundays can be cheaper for airline ticket purchases. Fridays tend to be the most expensive day to book a flight. Booking on the right day of the week could save you up to 6% on your airfare, according to historical data*.

When is the best time to buy airline tickets?

Based on 2020 And 2021 global flight data for Economy tickets, prices usually start to increase 56 days before departure for domestic flights. When traveling internationally, prices usually start to increase 21 days before departure*. Keep in mind that this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule; keeping an eye on prices is a good idea when trying to find the best airfare deals. Compare fares across different airlines, and set up a price alert for your preferred route.

Which are the cheapest days to fly?

Analysis of domestic and international airfare prices shows that flying out on Fridays can be cheaper. Many travelers start their trips on Sundays, so your chances of a lower price are better when departing early in the week instead. Starting your trip on a Friday could be almost 11% cheaper than air travel on Sundays, so book flights online wisely*!

Which is the cheapest month to fly?

The cheapest month to fly can vary depending on where you’re going, so finding the best rates largely comes down to avoiding peak travel times for your destination. If you’re looking for cheap international flights , the most expensive month tends to be February, while the cheapest is November with cheap flights in November offering potential savings of up to 34.6% relative to February. Cheap domestic flights work a bit differently, with March being the most expensive and August being the least expensive with cheap flights in August offering savings of up to 35%*.

How can I find the cheapest flights on Expedia?

Compare cheap airline ticket prices at a glance from a large inventory of carriers on Expedia. You can get cheap flights by staying flexible with travel dates, carriers, and nonstop/layover flights to get the best price. Insider tip: Become a member (it’s free!) to earn rewards back on every booking. We make your travel stress-free and source incredible airfare deals so you can sit back, relax, and start your vacation or business trip.

How can I save money on flights?

Mixing and matching airline tickets and fare types could help save money on airfare to your destination. Easily compare prices for carriers, arrival and departure dates, airplane cabin class, and more when you book with Expedia. Booking your plane ticket on a Sunday, and departing on Friday, could possibly save you money* based on historical data. You can also filter for flights based on your budget, such as looking for cheap flights under $200 specifically.

How can I get cheap last-minute flight deals?

The historical data analysis of flight pricing patterns shows that you can still find amazing airfare deals 3 weeks prior to departure* when traveling domestically. International last-minute flights offer great deals 2 weeks prior to departure if you’re flying premium, but economy travelers may want to strive for no less than 4 weeks out*. Try to stay flexible with travel dates, airports, and nonstop/layover flights to find the cheapest flights on Expedia. Whether you’re planning a quick business trip or a spontaneous holiday with friends, you’ll have your choice of last-minute flights, roundtrip, or multicity flights on Expedia. You’ll find everything you need for your travels all in one place — and all at the right price.

How do I book with Expedia?

Booking your flight with Expedia is easy, as all you have to do is implement your travel dates, departure destination, like flights from Atlanta or flights from Hartsfield-Jackson , and arrival destination into the search. Then, all the available flights for those dates and destinations will appear. You can use search filters to narrow down the results as well based on a variety of factors like the airline, number of stops, departure time, and policies like seat choice and refundable bookings. Additionally, travelers may alter their search for round-trip flights, one-way flights, and multicity flights.

What should I look out for when booking flights?

Several factors go into any flight booking, and you’ll need to keep an eye out for them all to ensure that you get the travel time, luggage policy, airline, and class you want. Consider which airport is closest to your ultimate destination (travelers to Los Angeles may prefer flights to LAX over flights to PSP , and make sure that the flight will accommodate all the luggage you plan on bringing. Additionally, consider the different flight classes including economy flights for functionality and premium flights if you want to enjoy a more relaxing experience.

Where’s the cheapest place to travel?

The cheapest place to travel can be in the same country, like Chicago. Flights to Chicago are fairly affordable no matter where you’re coming from in the continental United States. Flights to Las Vegas tend to be pretty affordable as well. While the Vegas airport isn’t a hub for any major airline, it does have plenty of competition to keep prices relatively low.

Where can I fly for cheap?

Staying within a strict budget still allows you to find plenty of cheap flights, even to destinations like Puerto Rico. In fact, flights to Puerto Rico don’t even require U.S. citizens to have a passport. Flights to Alberta and other destinations in Canada can be fairly affordable as well.

Is it cheaper to buy flights last minute?

Flight tickets can be cheaper at the last minute depending on how late you’re actually booking, where you’re going, and the kind of flight you opt for. For domestic flights with Economy tickets, prices usually start to increase 3 weeks before departure, and 4 weeks for international flights, according to historical data*.

Are fully refundable flights available?

Yes, several fully refundable flights are available and will be labeled as such right on your search results page in green text. You may also filter for fully refundable flights specifically to eliminate all flights from your results that don’t qualify. Just make sure to check the specific policy for each flight before booking.

Why should I book my flight with Expedia?

Booking with Expedia makes finding a flight easy, but that’s just the beginning of everything you can take advantage of. We also offer hotels, car rentals, and even activities that you can purchase with package deals available for travelers planning more than one aspect of their trip at a time. Plus, Expedia offers stunning cheap flight deals that can help you save with ease. As a One Key member, you will earn OneKeyCashTM for every eligible booking that you can use to save on future bookings. Plus, OneKeyCash can be earned on top of airline miles.

*Data specialists from both ARC and Expedia Group analyzed ARC’s global flight data to distil actionable information to help people save money on travel. While it’s impossible to guarantee when to find the lowest prices, after examining the variables, we were able to observe trends. Best day of the week to book and best day of the week to depart is based on average round-trip ticket prices for January through August for 2021, sourced from ARC’s global airline sales database. Best month to depart recommendation is based on average round-trip ticket prices for January through December for 2020, sourced from ARC's global airline sales database. Best time to book recommendation is based on average round-trip ticket prices for January through August for 2021 & average round-trip ticket prices for January through December for 2020, sourced from ARC's global airline sales database. OneKeyCash is not redeemable for cash and can only be used on Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo.

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The best travel agency for business travel, 1. travelperk.

• Extensive inventory of corporate flights due to integrations like Amadeus, Expedia and more.
• Mobile app allows employees to book flights, access paperless tickets, check-in and more to keep the travel experience seamless.
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The best travel agencies for leisure travel, 2. cheapflights.

• Allows you to easily compare different travel agencies for the flight you want
• Easy online booking options through whatever travel provider you choose
• Searches both large and small flight consolidators to find the best itineraries and prices

3. FlightCentre

• High-touch booking experience that allows you to chat live with an experienced travel agent, in-person or over the phone
• Flights can be combined with holiday packages to make travel planning easier
• Specialize in creating itineraries carefully designed to meet your unique needs
• Their travel agents will do all the work for you—no online bookings are offered, just chat with a travel agent and they’ll find what you need.

4. CheapOAir

• Large number of flight options allows you to find the cheapest deals available
• Flight and hotel packages make it easy to book together and save
• Numerous search filters make it easy to search and sort by date, prices, nearby airports, preferred airlines, schedule and more
• Easy online checkout process makes it simple to book

5. Liberty Travel

• Full-service travel agency—instead of booking flights online, work with a travel agent to book your trip
• Pre-created holiday packages let you browse possible vacations and costs with all flights, transfers, hotels and more included
• Less stress in the travel planning process with a dedicated agent helping plan your trip
• Get flight deals when you book as part of a vacation or cruise package
• Dedicated travel experts provide you with service and peace of mind throughout every phase of your trip

Is it cheaper to fly with a travel agent?

What are the benefits of booking a flight with a travel agent.

• discounted airfare on one-way, roundtrip and multi-city flight options
• travel experts to provide peace of mind and help with travel plans
• on-call customer service in case of rebooking needs or other travel contingencies
• customizable travel itineraries to meet your unique needs

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Airconcierge.com is a retail brand of International Travel Network (ITN) – a major U.S. airline consolidator. Airconcierge is a full-service travel agency specializing in offering discount airline tickets from the U.S. to all international destinations, group travel arrangements, complex flight bookings, affordable hotel bookings, car rentals, transfers and other travel-related services. Airconcierge focuses on providing it's clients with 24/7 live support over the phone before, during and after the booking. To look-up the discount airfare deals, please, visit another ITN's retail website www.asaptickets.com

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Airline Consolidator FAQ

Both terms are interchangeable, but an airline consolidator purchases a large volume of airline tickets at a discounted rate  from airlines and then resells them to travel agencies or directly to consumers. Flight consolidators can negotiate bulk deals with airlines, offering lower prices than those available through traditional booking channels.

The commission rates vary and depend on the agreements between the consolidator and the travel agency selling the tickets. This is where net fares and published fares come into play. With net fares, the travel agent can market and set their commission, whereas, with published fares, a set percentage is paid out.

Because airline consolidators negotiate discounted airfare rates with airlines, travel agents can markup the ticket prices, allowing the travel agents to make a profit while still offering prices lower than those available through traditional channels.

When clients seek airline tickets, travel agents and travel agencies utilize consolidator booking platforms to find cost-effective flight options. After confirming flight bookings and collecting payments, agents issue tickets and provide ongoing support. PS. Sky Bird Travel & Tours pays weekly ACH commission payments!

NDC , or New Distribution Capability , is a set of industry standards developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to modernize and standardize how airlines distribute their products and services to travel agents, travel management companies, and other distribution partners. Learn more about NDC here.

PNR means passenger name record . It’s 6 alpha-numeric characters that locate the reservation. There is one PNR for the GDS (see below) and one for each airline.

GDS (formerly CRS) means Global Distribution System . These are the computer systems where airlines load their inventory, fares, and schedules (Sabre, Amadeus, Apollo, Galileo, Travelport, and Worldspan are the GDS names you’ll hear).

Published fares are “published,” meaning anyone can buy a published airfare. Published fares can be bought from anywhere – online booking sites, travel agencies, and directly through the airlines.

Net fares  are airfares not available online through flight booking websites or the airlines’ websites. These airfares are only available for travel agents through a Global Distribution System (GDS) . and, more recently, New Distribution Capability (NDC) . Net fares are also known as private airfares , wholesale airfares , consolidator airfares, and unpublished airfares . All these terms can be used interchangeably.

Established in 1976, Sky Bird Travel is one of the top airline consolidators in the United States. In addition to partnering with 90+ airlines, Sky Bird pays weekly ACH commission payments on airfare, 25% commission on travel insurance, 15% on pre-paid hotels, and 8% commission on tours and car rentals. What are you waiting for? Register for the easy-to-use WINGS Booking Platform today! 

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If you're always on the hunt for cheap flights, you're likely familiar with using Google Flights , Skyscanner or online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia. We're big fans of those platforms here at TPG, as they can save you a ton of money on flights.

But the most powerful tool of all is a little less known and a lot less sleek: the ITA Matrix , which is also powered by Google. This platform requires a bit more work to score cheap flights (more on that below), but if you know how to make ITA Matrix work for you, it can pay off.

Here's everything you need to know about the ITA Matrix.

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What is the ITA Matrix?

ITA Matrix is a powerful tool that allows you to search for flights -- though keep in mind that you can't actually book flights on the platform. For that, you'll need to go to the individual airline's website. You'll find many flights, though Google says each airline decides how much to participate.

Pros of the ITA Matrix

Most OTAs let you search for only specific travel dates. For instance, on Expedia you're locked into searching one date at a time.

The ITA Matrix allows you to select options like a day before, after, or plus/minus 1- 2 days. That little extra flexibility gets you to a ticket faster and could save you money if traveling on another day is cheaper.

Cons of the ITA Matrix

One of the biggest downsides to using the ITA Matrix is that while you can search for flights, you can't actually book them through the platform. You can provide the information you find to a travel agent or airline when booking a flight, or you can try to recreate the itinerary through the airline or OTA yourself.

How to use the ITA Matrix to search for flights

There are a lot of filters, but finding flights using ITA Matrix is pretty straightforward. You will enter your departure and arrival airports as you would through an OTA. You can search one-way, round-trip or multi-city itineraries.

Routing codes

To get the most out of ITA Matrix, you'll probably need to use routing codes. Google has a helpful FAQ sheet on understanding the codes, which at first glance can seem pretty complicated. I'll do a breakdown of how to use these later on, but using the codes, you can:

• Include only flights operated by specific airlines or alliances
• Specify the number of connections you are willing to make (e.g., nonstop flights only, or one connection only)
• Search for flights with a layover in a specific airport, or avoiding a particular airport (e.g., avoiding a connection through Los Angeles (LAX) on a Delta flight from Las Vegas to Tokyo )
• Limit the duration of an itinerary
• Exclude red-eye flights or flights with overnight stops

Related: Coronavirus cancellations: What to do if you've booked travel through an online travel agency (OTA)

Cost per mile filter

You can see mileage and price per mile when you hover over your preferred fare in the search results. On the search results page, click the price heading and click "show price per mile." This is a neat feature to use if you're booking a mileage run where you'd need a certain amount of qualifying miles to get or keep elite status.

Geo-Search filter

The Geo-Search filter lets you search by airport code, city, or nearby airport. This feature could be helpful if you live in an area served by several airports, like New York, and you want to avoid flying out of Newark, for instance.

Color-coded Time Bars

We'll talk more about the Time Bars below, but this option allows you to compare flights at a glance. It's helpful if you don't want to scroll through pages and pages of flights. It's also an easier way to see how long your connections will be if you aren't flying nonstop.

How to book flights using ITA Matrix

I'm going to walk you through finding a flight through the ITA Matrix to illustrate how all this works. I'll be searching for a one-way flight from New York (JFK) to Portland (PDX) for dates in June 2021.

In the dates section, you'll see an option to search by exact dates or view a calendar. The calendar feature could be helpful if your travel plans are flexible and you just want to find the cheapest fares. You can also search for flights by time if you prefer a red-eye or midday flight.

You can then pick what cabin you prefer, whether you want a nonstop flight and the currency you want the fare to price out in.

We'll talk a bit later about more advanced ways to search for flights, but after you hit "search," you'll see a page with your results. It's pretty self-explanatory, but I want to highlight the circle indicators on the right-hand side of the page under "advisory."

The advisory column shows you features you may want to avoid, like airport changes, long layovers and short connections that could be risky.

If you want a more visual overview of the flight options, make sure you hit "Time Bar."

After selecting your preferred flight, you'll see a detailed description, including the aircraft, fare class, whether you'll get a meal in-flight and whether there is onboard entertainment. Keep in mind that the aircraft could change before your flight.

Finally, you'll see the cost breakdown of the flight, the fare construction (you'll send this to your travel agent) and a Powertools section to book your flight through another platform. I'll talk more about this below. There is also a way to email the itinerary if you need to send it to a travel agent.

Can I book a flight with ITA Matrix?

As I said above, you can't book flights directly through the program. You do have some options for recreating your itinerary, however. You can use BookWithMatrix to generate a booking link from your ITA Matrix result.

All you have to do is paste your itinerary into the box and you'll see results. Let's say you want to fly from Newark (EWR ) to San Francisco (SFO) one-way. You want to fly United Airlines only, you don't mind a connection but you don't want to connect in Chicago (ORD) .

After the results page populates, you'll pick your preferred itinerary by selecting it. After you do that, you'll select the entire page and then paste it into BookWithMatrix.

You'll then see the itinerary on BookWithMatrix and a link to book the flight. If you don't want to go through all of those steps, you can use ITA Matrix's Powertools feature on the left-hand side of the page to book directly.

Can I search for hotels with ITA Matrix?

You can't search for hotels using the ITA Matrix. If you're trying to find a hotel for your trip, you're better off using a platform like Orbitz or Priceline or booking directly through your hotel chain to earn points on your stay.

Related: Online travel agency vs. booking direct: Your guide to the best way to book your next hotel

Can I book car rentals with ITA Matrix?

As with hotels, you can't search for or book rental cars using ITA Matrix. You can find rental cars through your preferred OTA or by booking directly through your preferred company. Make sure you're using a credit card that offers primary insurance for car rentals .

Related: 9 rental car rewards programs you need to know about

Can I use ITA to find a specific fare class or code?

You can use the Matrix to search for a preferred fare class. Let's say you want to fly from Atlanta (ATL) to Los Angeles (LAX) but you don't want to fly economy to get there. Here, you would use another tool ITA Matrix has called extension codes.

Using extension codes, you can filter out fare classes you don't want to be in or search only for first, business or economy fares. In this case, I used the extension code "+CABIN 1," which indicated I only wanted to fly first class.

What are ITA Matrix advanced codes?

ITA Matrix includes several powerful ways to search for a specific ticket, where conventional search tools only differentiate on price. In the advanced routing fields, you can input endless commands to find your perfect flight. There are three tabs (you can open the legend by clicking on the first "question mark" that will help you find the right code to put into ITA Matrix.

If you're looking for a specific flight on a particular carrier, you can search that way. In this instance, we'll use American Airlines as an example.

Let's say I'm looking for a flight from Miami (MIA) to Houston (IAH) , but I only want to fly American Airlines. I would then input C: AA, which would exclude all other carriers. This method can be helpful if you're loyal to a specific airline, but you're flying into a rival carrier's hub, like Houston, a United hub.

Connecting in London (LHR) can be a stressful experience for many travelers. Don't want to transfer there on the way back home? No problem: you can just use code ~LHR to prevent a stopover at Heathrow. Perhaps you wanted to fly Delta to the West Coast on two segments and you prefer to connect in Minneapolis (MSP) . In this case, the routing code you would use would be DL MSP DL.

As you can see in the screenshot above, each leg includes a stopover in Minneapolis.

How can I search ITA for specific alliance flights?

You can tell ITA Matrix to only search flights on your preferred alliance . You can also search for multiple alliances by separating them with a vertical bar character. Note that the only alliances supported are Oneworld , SkyTeam and Star Alliance .

In this case, I searched for flights from Newark (EWR) to Paris (CDG) on Star Alliance carriers only.

Bottom line

At first glance, the ITA Matrix can seem clunky and not very user-friendly. It's not as simple as plugging in your airport codes and dates and hitting enter. You'll have to do some work to find the flight you want. Once you get past those obstacles, you can find some cheap flights, whether you're traveling now or in the future.

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RUSSIA TRAVEL PACKAGES A selection of Russian tours to take as they are or adjust to your needs.

THE GOLDEN RING Visit the heart of ancient Russia. What is the Golden Ring?

MOSCOW TOURS What you can see in Moscow.

MOSCOW DAY TRIPS Get out of Moscow and take a relaxing trip to some of these places

ST. PETERSBURG Some of the sights to see in Petersburg

LAKE BAIKAL TOURS Hiking and trekking around the world's deepest lake in the heart of Siberia

RUSSIAN DIGS Come and work in the field on a Russian Archaeological dig. Full training given on site.

TRAVEL TIPS & SERVICES Getting around in Russia

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Want to bail on your eclipse trip? Here's what to know about your refund prospects.

If you planned a trip to see the eclipse next week and are realizing the weather forecast might not be in your favor, you may be considering canceling your excursion and saving that money for some other adventure down the road.

Unfortunately, depending on when and how you booked, you may not be eligible for a refund.

Airlines, hotels and other travel companies sometimes have restrictive cancellation policies that limit the refunds you’re entitled to. Here’s what you need to know before pulling the plug:

'Guaranteed to see the eclipse': A plane might be the best place to see the phenomenon

Events across the US: A list of solar eclipse events across the nation from Texas to Maine

What happens if I have to cancel my flight to see the eclipse?

◾ American Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking for nonrefundable tickets. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights. New travel must begin no more than one year from the original trip date. You may be charged a change fee, cancellation fee, or fare difference for future travel depending on the terms of your original ticket. Visit the airline's website to see the full terms . Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online or app-based chat feature or email form, or by calling 800-433-7300.

◾ Delta Air Lines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking for nonrefundable tickets. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights, which is valid for one year from the date of issue. You may be charged a change fee, cancellation fee, or fare difference for future travel depending on the terms of your original ticket. Visit the airline's website to see the full terms on the airline’s website. Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online or app-based chat feature or email form, or by calling 800-221-1212.

◾ United Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking for nonrefundable tickets. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights, which is valid for one year from the date of issue. You may be charged a change fee, cancellation fee, or fare difference for future travel depending on the terms of your original ticket. Visit the airline's website to see the full terms . Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online or app-based chat feature or email form, or by calling 800-864-8331.

◾ Southwest Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking for nonrefundable tickets. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights. Flight credits on Southwest don’t expire, and the airline doesn’t charge change or cancellation fees. See the full terms on Southwest’s website . Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or contact customer service at 800-435-9792.

◾ JetBlue: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking for nonrefundable tickets. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights. New travel must be booked more than one year from the original trip date. You may be charged a change fee, cancellation fee, or fare difference for future travel depending on the terms of your original ticket, or if you make changes over the phone rather than online. See the full terms on the airline’s website . Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service via online chat, iMessage, Google Business, or Whatsapp, or by calling 800-538-2583. JetBlue charges $50 per ticket per person when an agent handles itinerary changes, rather than passengers using self-service options.

◾ Alaska Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking for nonrefundable tickets. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights for main cabin or first class fares. The credit will be valid for 12 months from the original issue date of the ticket. Saver fares are only eligible for 50% credit of the original ticket value. See the full terms on the airline’s website. Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online chat feature, or by calling 800-252-7522.

◾ Spirit Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights, less a cancellation fee that ranges from $0 to $119 per person, depending on how far out your flight is. New travel must be booked no more than 90 days from the date of the credit being issued. See the full terms on the airline’s website . Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online chat feature, by texting 48763, messaging 855-728-3555 on WhatsApp, or calling that number on the phone. Spirit may charge a fee for customer service assistance.

◾ Frontier Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking unless you purchased a refundability add-on. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights, less a cancellation fee that ranges from $0 to $99 per passenger per segment, depending on how far out your flight is. New travel must be booked no more than 90 days from the date of the credit being issued. See the full terms on the airline’s website . Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online chat feature, by messaging the carrier on WhatsApp at 720-902-3969, or by sending an email through the online customer service form. Frontier may charge a fee for customer service assistance.

◾ Allegiant Airlines: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking unless you purchased a refundability add-on. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights, less a cancellation fee of $25 per person per segment and any other related carrier charges and booking fees. New travel must be completed within one year of the date of the initial reservation. See the full terms on the airline’s website . Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by contacting customer service through the online chat feature, by texting the carrier at 866-432-6165, or by sending an email through the online customer service form. Allegiant may charge a fee for customer service assistance.

◾ Sun Country: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking unless you purchased a refundability add-on. If you choose not to travel, you can convert the value of your ticket into credit for future flights, less a cancellation fee that ranges from $0 to $99 per person per segment, depending on how far out your flight is. New travel must be booked no more than 90 days from the date of the credit being issued. See the full terms on the airline’s website . Travelers can generally make changes to their reservation on the airline’s website, or by calling customer service at 651-905-2737.

How do I cancel my hotel booking for my eclipse trip?

◾ Expedia: Cancellation policies are set by the hotel, not Expedia. Thankfully, most hotels refund your entire payment if you cancel before their cancellation deadline, but some hotel rooms are nonrefundable. You can find cancellation and refund policy information on your itinerary in the app, according to Expedia Group. If you used points to pay for your booking and you’re charged a cancellation fee , that will come out of your points balance. Travelers can contact an Expedia agent at any time through its online chat feature on the website’s Help Center .

◾ KAYAK: If you booked your hotel reservations through KAYAK, you can go to your bookings page for more information on 24/7 support. Since KAYAK is a search engine and not a seller, travelers need to get in touch with their hotel directly . Travelers can contact KAYAK via the chat feature on the website’s Help Center . 

◾ Hotels.com: Refunds are not available more than 24 hours after booking. However, some bookings are completely nonrefundable. When you cancel, you won’t get any money back. Other hotels or vacation rentals may charge a cancellation fee . Travelers can chat with a Hotels.com agent using the virtual chat feature on the website’s Help Center . 

• ◾ Booking.com: Cancellation policies are property-specific, meaning you might not qualify for a complete refund or face a cancellation fee. Check your confirmation email for details on the cancellation policy associated with your booking. If your booking is nonrefundable, you won't be able to cancel or modify i t. Travelers can contact Booking.com’s customer service 24/7 by calling 1-888-850-3958 or logging into Booking.com and sending a message.

See the eclipse from the parks: You can see the total solar eclipse from national parks, but their skies offer much more

Can I cancel my Airbnb, Vrbo on my eclipse trip?

◾ Vrbo: Cancellation policies are set by the host, and refunds are issued according to the cancellation policy, according to Expedia Group, which owns Vrbo. If you would like to cancel or make changes to your booking outside of the cancellation policy, you should contact the host directly. Travelers can contact Vrbo’s customer service by calling 1-877-202-9331. 

◾ Airbnb: Cancellation policies are set by the host and based on the local time zone of the listing. You can see your confirmed reservation’s cancellation policy under reservation details. Airbnb announced an update to its Major Disruptive Events Policy , which includes natural disasters and declared public health emergencies, but not a cloudy eclipse day. If you’ve purchased insurance for your reservation, you can get your full payment reimbursed if you cancel within 10 days of booking (unless you’ve already started your trip.) Travelers can contact Airbnb’s customer service by calling 1-844-234-2500 or messaging Airbnb support via its website . 

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