I used to book flights through Expedia and now I never touch third party sites

Last year I booked a round trip to Austin through a third party site because it was $40 cheaper. My return flight got cancelled and they put me on hold for three hours while the airline said they couldn't help me since I didn't book direct. Ended up buying a last minute ticket for $320 out of pocket. Has anyone else had a similar nightmare with those booking sites?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_dixon7d ago

Wait, is one bad experience really enough to swear off all third party sites forever? I mean, yeah, that sounds like a rough trip, but I've booked dozens of flights through places like Kayak and Priceline over the years and never had an issue. The whole "customer service hell" thing happens with airlines directly too, you know. I've spent two hours on hold with American Airlines for a cancelled flight I booked direct, so it's not like they're angels. Plus, that $40 savings each time adds up if you're booking a few trips a year. Maybe the real tip is just to use a credit card with good travel protection no matter where you book.

dixon.anthony7d ago

Man, I used to be exactly like that. I'd book through Expedia or Orbitz all the time and tell people the savings were worth it, no question. But then last year I had this trip to Denver where I booked a package through one of those sites, flight got changed three times and they just kept saying the airline had to fix it while the airline said since I booked third party they couldn't touch it. I was stuck in this loop for like five days, missed a whole day of the trip. One time I tried calling their customer service and got hung up on after forty minutes of hold music. So yeah, I get what you're saying about the savings adding up, but after that mess I just book direct now and eat the small difference. The whole credit card protection thing is smart though, I've been looking into that since it might be the middle ground I need.