It’s been years since I needed to fly anything besides Southwest, but I’m headed from BWI to Wichita (far from this opera forevermore ;)) for a funeral next weekend, and I’m looking for better options. So what’s the easiest way to look? Key variables are departure and arrival times, price, and time needed for any connections.
I use Google flights to figure out who flies the route, then go to the airline sites. Buying through an intermediary just seems to add a layer of complication for no benefit these days, and the airlines sites all have good interfaces to allow you to scan through the calendar for their best/cheapest flights.
I use kayak.com. It allows you to create many filters, including take-off and landing times. You can also filter for layover times. You can also select “All DC area airports” to see if flights out of National or BWI or Dulles are cheaper.
Ditto. Kayak is my first stop for either domestic or international flights.
Thanks! Kayak is very helpful.
Although the percentage I receive per use is minuscule (a fraction of a tenth of a percent) it does add up over time. Thanks to all who use Kayak!
Yep, I’m another Kayak user.
I use kayak, google flights and hipmunk to narrow down the flights to the ones with the best prices and schedules. But then I almost always book on the airline websites themselves. I think it’s safer and easier if anything goes wrong or if I need to make any changes.
suranyi and possibly others have IMO the best solution. Whatever site you use, use it as a research tool only; then find the same flight on your carrier of choice.
If you’ve ever been in a ‘situation’ where the airline agent has to tell you that she can’t help you since they didn’t sell you your ticket, and you need to discuss your options with Orbitz; you’ll understand why.
Totally agree, and that’s one of the things I like about Kayak. Once you are done with your research, it lets you go directly to the airline’s site to book it.
Interesting thing - I wound up booking on American through Kayak. Once I knew which flights I wanted, I went directly to the American site, and the price was in the upper $1100s. But when I closed that window and clicked through from Kayak, I got the price I’d seen on Kayak which was in the $800s. So yay, Kayak!