Just like most things in life, there are good and bad aspects when using third party sites when booking flights. Another name for third party sites are online travel agents or OTAs.
Before we get into the good and bad of booking a flight through an OTA, let’s take a look at what they are.
What is a third party booking site?
A third party or OTA booking site sells flights, accommodation, rental cars, and packages on their website. This isn’t the official site of the airline that you are flying with.
Some of the most popular OTA sites include: Priceline, Booking.com, Expedia, Hotwire and Orbitz. These are just some of the more popular sites. There are many more that are in the market.
What is a flight search engine?
My go to site when it comes to flying is Google Flights. Google Flights isn’t an OTA but it is a flight search engine. A flight search engine looks across all of the OTAs and shows you the best offers.
Below is an example of what you can expect to see when using Google Flights. As you can see, the top result is the airline price and below it are the OTAs.
If you want to learn how to use Google Flights, you can read my post “Using Google Flights to Find Cheap Flights.”
Some other well known search engine travel sites include Kayak, Trivago, Skyscanner and Momondo.
It helps you to see what the airline is selling the flight for along with different OTAs. Sites like this save you time. You don’t have to go to all of the different sites to see how much the flight is.
Pros in Using an OTA
It may be less expensive
When searching for a flight somewhere, there are numerous times where the fare on an OTA will be cheaper than booking directly with the airline. This isn’t always the case but it can be.
Can combine flights from different airlines
Some OTAs allow you to combine flights from different airlines. This can help you create the perfect itinerary for the trip that you are taking. This can make the overall flight cheaper and more convenient.
Faster to find flights then searching airline sites one at a time
Besides price, the second most popular feature with using an OTA is the time it can save. Since an OTA offers flights from most major airlines, it makes it easy to see the cheapest flight.
You can save even more time by using some of the filter features that are offered by the sites.
Can earn frequent flyer miles and OTA points
Some of the more popular OTAs like Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity have their own loyalty programs. You can earn points to put towards future travel.
Most airlines allow you to earn frequent flyer miles when booking through an OTA. So, you can double dip when booking through a third party site.
Cons in Using an OTA
It can be tough to change something related to your flight
No matter if you have to cancel, change something on your flight or change a flight, it can be difficult with a third party site. It doesn’t matter if it is weather related or for personal reasons.
When you have to change a flight, you aren’t going to deal with the airline. There may be times when the airline will help you. Most of the time they will direct you to the third party site.
This just makes one more layer that you have to go through. OTAs aren’t known for their customer service. So, this can make things harder and more frustrating no matter the cause of the change.
There are times where you will have more fees when making changes with an OTA.
Not all OTAs honor 24 hour cancellation
Airlines taking off from the US are required to give you free ticket cancellation on flights up to 24 hours after purchase. Not all OTAs honor this rule. You will want to read the fine print before you book if this is a concern.
Poor customer service
OTAs can offer people lower prices because they usually scale back on the customer service. That doesn’t mean that you will always get bad service but the chances are greater.
This is especially true with smaller lesser known OTAs like Hop2 or Travelmerry. You will have better customer service with larger well known sites like Booking.com and Kayak.
Sometimes have multiple airlines to deal with
The convenience and money savings of a multi itinerary ticket is nice. This type of ticket can be a disadvantage when there are issues.
Many times you are getting one way tickets from multiple airlines. If you have to cancel flights, you may have to deal with each airline separately. It just depends on the OTAs cancellation policy.
Make sure you are comparing apples to apples
If there is a much lower price for a flight, it may be because of multiple flights or the time the flight is leaving. You want to make sure that you are comparing the same flights to your destination.
Should you book with an OTA?
It comes down to a personal choice when booking a flight with an OTA. There are advantages and disadvantages if you choose to do so.
You have to decide for yourself if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for you.
Final Thoughts
When it comes down to whether to use an OTA, I want people to be informed as much as possible. As you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to using an OTA.
Whether you use an OTA comes down to your comfort level with the good and bad aspects.
If the good outweighs the bad, then book away. It is probably better for you to book directly with the airline if you see more bad than good.
Please leave a comment if you have had a good or bad experience related to using a third party site.
