No matter if you are flying across-country or across the oceans, finding the right flight makes all the difference. Therefore, it is important to find the best website for airfare tickets, with innovative search tools to help you compare the options and save money. Most often, it is the case that you have to book the flight through the website of the airline. Needless to say, you have to know beforehand which flight offers the best prices.
Here, we have compiled a list of the best websites for airfare tickets online.
Booking.com
Booking.com should be your first choice in your flight search if you are looking to get the best deal in the market. Many review sites found its prices to be consistently low, as compared to its peers. Do not get your hopes down just by its minimalistic and somewhat dull interface. Sure, it does not look as captivating as Hipmunk, it does make it easier to search and filter flights easily. It is as simple as looking up your flight by choosing trip type (One-way, round trip or transit), choose the departure and arrival cities and the dates and the class you would like. You will be amazed to find so many lucrative options and customizations Booking.com offers. [i]
The built in order of the search results at Booking.com is by ‘recommended’ but you can resort them with a click to display the cheapest options first. There are other filters like ‘quickest’ and ‘earliest’ flight plan. Probably the only downside about this side is that there is no flexible dates tool.
Kayak
Though both Kayak and Booking.com are sister companies and part of Priceline Group, Kayak gets a place in our list, for a reason. This is because of the powerhouse of a planning tool. Kayak allows you to set flexible dates and unlike other websites with a margin of +,- 3 days, Kayak offers more flexibility. Means that you can still be able to find the price of the flight even if you have a really flexible schedule. For example, if you don’t know whether it is cheaper to fly to New York the end of September of October 11th, Kayak offers help. They offer 3 different search filters, flexible dates, weekend and flexible month.
The Flexible Dates feature lets you decide the ideal time to fly and displays a chart showing the cheapest days to travel. Same goes for the flexible weekend and flexible month, if you are too flexible or unsure about the time of flying. Please note that unlike some other websites, Kayak is not a flight search engine. What does that mean? Means that you will be taken to other websites at the time of actual booking.
Hipmunk
When it comes to comparing the prices, Hipmunk does not lag behind Kayak. However, you cannot expect the results to be like that of Booking.com, so don’t expect to find the cheapest flights here. Although the search results hover close to Kayak and Booking.com, you would note that it is more amenity-minded, means that paying an extra few bucks is totally worth it.
The interface lets you enter the basic search criteria before showing a chart of available flights as per your criteria. Just giving it a glance would educate you about the basic details such as time of departure, arrival and the duration of the flight, which is very helpful. It is the small icons shown over there that are likely to catch your attention. These icons show whether there is WiFi, power outlets, luxury seating, and flight entertainment etc. available. This helps you in making a decision on how luxurious or boring your flight is going to be.
A witty feature of Hipmunk is the ‘agony’ filter, which tells you how painful the flight could be, depending upon the layovers, in the plan. These and a few more features in the website are the reasons for inclusion in our list.
Hotwire
One of the most popular OTAs, they have a really simple home page that allows you to enter the basic search criteria. Be prepared to be shown a number of popups, especially when booking hotels. Though they might appear to be bothersome at that moment but it is likely that you would find a great deal there. Also, when searching for the flight, it is usual to come across a ‘Hot Rate flight’. This is more like a gamble because the exact times, number of stops and carrier and not shown until you place the order. Know that a great deal of flexibility is required and the price different ranges from as low as $20. [ii]
One of the benefits of Hotwire is the 24-hour cancellation policy, lets you take your time to make a decision. Also, you can save some money on package deals with a hotel stay. Be aware of the booking fee that Hotwire is known to charging sometimes, not always.
Expdia
Another one of the OTAs that has been in the business since the 90s. About the price, you won’t necessarily get a deal booking with them but it won’t charge more than the airline’s website either. Moreover, they have a rewards program which might be useful for some people who are into referrals and such. This is because the reward program actually works on booking the hotels. It is recommended to read their terms and conditions regarding their rewards program as it is subject to change any time. [iii]
We hope that our picks regarding the best
websites for airfare tickets was helpful. We understanding that everyone has
their own preferences when it comes to booking a ticket. Some are after the
cheapest deal, while others prefer the luxuries and amenities. However, our
list covers all such plans and you are likely to find the best website for
booking tickets online. Please make sure to get in touch with the website’s
customer service to know the exact details and terms and conditions in place.
[i] https://www.rezstream.com/blog/benefits-of-bookingcom
[ii] https://www.reviews.com/travel-sites/airfare/
[iii] https://www.expedia.com/rewards/howitworks