# What is the best way to book a flight online? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 23, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980 "2016-03-23T21:22:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/1 "2016-03-23T21:22:42Z")
I haven’t done this in so long that I literally can’t remember all the ins and outs of the process. :o I need to book a flight from Burbank, California to Portland, Oregon for Wednesday, March 30. Who are the best online companies to deal with now? Any other salient advice anybody could offer would be mightily appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/2 "2016-03-23T22:18:53Z")
I have had very good customer service from CheapOair, but I have no idea how they compare with others. ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/3 "2016-03-23T22:30:49Z")
These days I usually first compare prices with a service like Kayak and then book directly with the airline. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/4 "2016-03-23T23:04:31Z")
I recommend checking the Southwest Airlines website directly. I don’t think their airfares are listed on most of the web services. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/5 "2016-03-23T23:25:07Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I recommend checking the Southwest Airlines website directly. I don’t think their airfares are listed on most of the web services. That sounds like a plan. I’m going to do that first. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/6 "2016-03-23T23:53:51Z")
> [@iljitsch](#): > > These days I usually first compare prices with a service like Kayak and then book directly with the airline. Concur with this. Just peeked at Kayak, cheapest round-trip (I used 3 April for return) was $446.00 with unappetizing times. Southwest was about $490.46 for reasonable times, cheaper if you wanted to leave way early. All the above are connections, Alaska has nonstops, but range from $550-600. Used Burbank-Bob Hope to Portland Intl. Lots of options. Might want to consider LAX or other LA airports too. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/7 "2016-03-23T23:54:53Z")
> [@iljitsch](#): > > These days I usually first compare prices with a service like Kayak and then book directly with the airline. Agree, except Google Flights. It doesn’t cover Southwest, for some reason, so I check that one too. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/8 "2016-03-23T23:58:59Z")
Southwest fares aren’t available on most of the consolidator sites. I’m assuming that’s by Southwest’s choice. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/9 "2016-03-24T00:41:43Z")
Y’all were right. Southwest only books through their own site. All taken care of now. It took all of about five minutes to book the flight. Thanks, everybody. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/10 "2016-03-24T15:18:30Z")
Too late now, but I’ve been using Google Flights a lot lately. I like the interface better than Kayak. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/11 "2016-03-24T17:54:56Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Y’all were right. Southwest only books through their own site. All taken care of now. It took all of about five minutes to book the flight. Thanks, everybody. 🙂 Remember, on Southwest your first two bags are free. And remember to check in 24 hours in advance to get a good boarding number which will ensure you get a decent seat. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/12 "2016-03-24T18:08:17Z")
Another vote for Google flights. I’ve used it the last two times I’ve flown and it’s easy-peasy. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/13 "2016-03-24T18:38:38Z")
I’ve never even heard of Google Flights (I typically use Expedia for my first stop); WOW is Google Flights fast! Even as you scroll through different dates it updates pretty much instantly. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/14 "2016-03-24T20:52:47Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Remember, on Southwest your first two bags are free. And remember to check in 24 hours in advance to get a good boarding number which will ensure you get a decent seat. Indeed, keep this in mind in pricing flights. If you think you might check a bag, with other airlines you have to factor in an additional fee for the bag check. With Southwest WYSIWYG (do people still use that?). ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/15 "2016-03-24T20:54:25Z")
> [@Raza](#): > > I’ve never even heard of Google Flights (I typically use Expedia for my first stop); WOW is Google Flights fast! Even as you scroll through different dates it updates pretty much instantly. Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. Years ago almost all the online travel sites had flexible search functions but one by one they have dropped that option forcing you to search day by day to try and pinpoint the cheapest flights. Kayak’s flexible search is pretty good, too, but I like Google better. And as others mentioned, it’s always good to give Southwest a look since their fares aren’t picked up by the OTAs. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-a-flight-online/749980/16 "2016-03-24T22:09:04Z")
I’ll bet that Google Flights is a result of its acquisition of [ITA Software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITA_Software) about five years ago.