Here’s a question we come back to periodically, partly just to keep all the sites honest. We (Tina) have historically preferred Orbitz. But have you tried Kiwi.com lately? Are they edging ahead of Orbitz, Travelocity, and Kayak? Just out of curiosity, it would be interesting if you tried Kiwi.com on your next trip, then reported your experience back here. You just might be surprised. (Just FYI – there is no “affiliate marketing” edge going on here… and no ads. We’re just one beggar telling another where we might find the best bread.) Let’s try them: https://www.kiwi.com/en/. Do you have a favorite travel/airfare site? Which do you prefer? Here are travel agencies (not individuals) we’ve used in the past or to which we’ve been referred:
AirFareWatchdog http://www.AirfareWatchdog.com — Works best for very flexible travelers. Plus, includes fares from Southwest, Allegiant and other small airlines that may not appear on bigger search sites such as Kayak.
Cheaptickets.com http://cheaptickets.com
City Express Travel http://www.cityexpresstravel.net
Expedia http://www.Expedia.com
Fare Compare http://wwwfarecompare.com
Fly For Good http://www.flyforgood.com
Fly Asia http://www.FlyAsia.com
International Volunteer Card http://www.volunteercard.com – If you work with any non-profit, could be for a day, or your life. This membership card is awesome!!!!
Kayak http://www.Kayak.com – Scours hundreds of online sources for the cheapest fare available. The more flexible you are on time and destination, the better your chances of finding a great deal.
Kiwi https://www.kiwi.com/en/
Menno Travel (a Raptim company) http://www.mennotvl.com/
Missionary Airfare Search http://www.missionaryairfaresearch.com/
Mobissimo http://www.mobissimo.com to get an idea of what fares are out there.
Orbitz.com http://www.Orbitz.com
Reservations Africa http://www.reservationsafrica.com
Siama Travel http://siama.nl/
Springfield Travel http://www.springfieldtravel.com
Tendaitravel http://www.tendaitravel.com/
Travelocity http://www.travelocity.com
Which Budget http://www.WhichBudget.com — Build an inexpensive, overseas flight plan by using local, budget airlines
Yapta Travel (Seattle, WA) (206) 625-2301 http://www.Yapta.com – info@yapta.com
YaYama http://www.yayama.com – uncovers many int’l airlines that dont typically appear on other web engines.
I recently use Kiwi and overall a very bad experience. Chat support was very poor with the representative making untruthful remarks. I could not find a US phone number to call to resolve the issue. It’s been about 6 weeks and the problem is still not resolved. I’m considering reporting them to the Better Business Bureau.
I bought a couple tickets to South America this year through Kiwi – cheaper and faster than other sites I tried.
I don’t mind using sites like Kiwi (tho my fave is flights.google.com) to find out what my options are to get from A/B/C to X/Y/Z. But in general, I greatly prefer to book directly with the airline I’m purchasing from. When things go awry, airlines are much more responsive to those who booked direct than to those who used these 3rd party OTAs.
For example, my mom bought a tour package from Virginia to Ireland. Her flight was via Air Canada, and when their return flight was canceled, Air Canada wasn’t very helpful in trying to rebook them. They did finally get home, and not much later than originally planned, but it was very stressful for her. If she had bought her flight directly with Air Canada, I believe they would have been much more responsive to her issues.
Kiwi and other OTAs can definitely be a lot cheaper than booking direct, though, so I suppose it’s really down to one’s risk tolerance/cost-benefit analysis.
I have also had problems with Kiwi in the past. I like Momondo.com as they search more companies than Kayak.com