Where Do You Book Your Flights?

[MangoKorat]

We all have our preferences that we swear by and when I'm in the UK, I find that Travelsupermarket works best for me - its Kayak based so other sites are  similar.  I am aware that I can use that site (and Kayak) to book flights FROM Thailand but I have no idea if I'm getting offered the best prices.

 

So, when you're in Thailand, which booking sites do you use? I am aware that Booking.com are now selling flights but there's are rarely the best prices and on the one time I booked through them, I was simply passed on to another agent.

 

Are there sites similar to Kayak etc. that are Thailand/Asia based and if so, are the agents trustworthy and do they offer anf fare protection?

[Hummin]

Use Momondo to search prices and use one of the agents through them, or direct from the airline if same price. 

 

Lately I have only used to buy direct from the airlines. 

[maesariang]

1 hour ago, MangoKorat said:

We all have our preferences that we swear by and when I'm in the UK, I find that Travelsupermarket works best for me - its Kayak based so other sites are  similar.  I am aware that I can use that site (and Kayak) to book flights FROM Thailand but I have no idea if I'm getting offered the best prices.

 

So, when you're in Thailand, which booking sites do you use? I am aware that Booking.com are now selling flights but there's are rarely the best prices and on the one time I booked through them, I was simply passed on to another agent.

 

Are there sites similar to Kayak etc. that are Thailand/Asia based and if so, are the agents trustworthy and do they offer anf fare protection?

I book direct always. I don't trust these other sites much.

[Chelseafan]

Skyscanner always seems to have the best deals.

 

[MangoKorat]

11 hours ago, maesariang said:

I book direct always. I don't trust these other sites much.

Are you referring to sites base in Asia or ones like Travelsupermarket that I previously mentioned? I can't speak for other sites but I've used Travelsupermarket for years and never had a problem.  They are simply a comparison site that display prices and deals offered by many different agents. When you choose a price you are then transferred to the agents website to make the booking. Before booking you can check out the agents credibilty on sites such as Trustpilot.

 

Travelsupermarket also, in most cases, display the price of the airline involved and will direct you to their site to complete the booking if you choose to book direct.  I normally have a rule - if the agents price is less than £30 cheaper than going direct - I book with the airline. However, that is very rare and I've saved thousands of £'s over the years by using agents.

 

Anyway, what I'm trying to establish is if there are any Asia/Thailand specific comparison sites.

[stupidfarang]

Google travel is good for comparrison

[mdr224]

Directly with the airline only. These middlemen websites provide no support when things go wrong

[Upnotover]

I use Traveloka to check flight prices.  They are an Indonesian based operation.  I have completed bookings on their site a few times but most often use them to check pricing only and then book with the airline directly.  Normally the airline price is within +/-5% of the Traveloka price. 

[Nick Carter icp]

I look on the airlines websites 

[maesariang]

1 hour ago, mdr224 said:

Directly with the airline only. These middlemen websites provide no support when things go wrong

This

[Olmate]

Amex Platinum Card, 'the'best traveller card! 

[Mike Teavee]

I find https://matrix.itasoftware.com/search offers the most flexibility when searching for flights (although it's supposed to have been replaced by Google Flights I still find it better), but it is not a booking site so once I've found the flights I want I go to the Airlines home page to book direct. 

[steven100]

Just book them online direct with the airline,  then your covered for any refund.

some deals can be had booking direct also.  

[Lacessit]

I book directly with the airline.

 

Think about it. Any agent is going to tack on a commission.

[josephbloggs]

50 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Amex Platinum Card, 'the'best traveller card! 

 

Rubbish. I had one for a few years. Tried their concierge to book flights but it was much less convenient sitting on the phone while they tell you prices, asking about different flight times, aircraft types, took forever. I then went and checked the same flight on the airlines website and it was cheaper. Plus you need to factor in the horrendous annual fees for Amex. I got rid of it a few years ago - total rip off.

So basically your post was of no help, but I suspect it was just a way to try and show off.

To the OP, I find booking direct with the airline is rarely any different to any of the agent sites., plus you get peace of mind. 

[Nick Carter icp]

2 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

To the OP, I find booking direct with the airline is rarely any different to any of the agent sites., plus you get peace of mind. 

 

   Do agents offer cheaper air fares than the airlines websites ?

   I have seen cheaper flights offered by agents, but they flights aren't available to book 

[retarius]

I now only travel with two airlines now and always book directly with them. I hate to think of paying these awful websites to do something I can do for myself.

[Will B Good]

Direct

[The Fugitive]

Use both Skyscanner and Kayak for searching. Almost invariably, the cheapest price appears to be available on Trip.com. Where flights have been retimed or cancelled Trip.com has always provided plenty of notice, automatically rebooking onto the next available flight and offering the option to change or cancel. Last month AirAsia cancelled a flight. I opted to cancel. Trip.com refunded the full cost onto my card within 24 hours. Admittedly, a basic process where you wouldn't expect any difficulty.

[4MyEgo]

I am register with many airlines flying to my home country and rarely receive any emails on specials these days.

 

The above said, I am looking at flying O/S next year, so I just check the many airlines once a week for the best deals and only fly direct. 

[Olmate]

4 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

 

Rubbish. I had one for a few years. Tried their concierge to book flights but it was much less convenient sitting on the phone while they tell you prices, asking about different flight times, aircraft types, took forever. I then went and checked the same flight on the airlines website and it was cheaper. Plus you need to factor in the horrendous annual fees for Amex. I got rid of it a few years ago - total rip off.

So basically your post was of no help, but I suspect it was just a way to try and show off.

To the OP, I find booking direct with the airline is rarely any different to any of the agent sites., plus you get peace of mind. 

Your so full of it cobber, NFI springs full frontal every post you make, and cannot afford  fee thats credited back to you! lol.... yawn  off.😂

[josephbloggs]

1 hour ago, Olmate said:

Your so full of it cobber, NFI springs full frontal every post you make,

I have no idea what that means,

 

Quote

 and cannot afford  fee thats credited back to you! lol.... yawn  off.😂

Mine was never credited back to me in several years. Anyway I just said it was a rip off and their concierge / travel service was useless and a waste of time.  If it works for you then great.

It doesn't change my point though that your post was only intended to show off and was of no use to the OP at all. Unless you were suggesting his best option to find cheaper flights was to qualify for Amex Platinum, apply for it, get approval, receive the card, pay the 40k baht annual membership, then call their help line to book a flight for him. Great advice. But no, not just showing off.

Edited September 3 by josephbloggs

[CanadaSam]

I find the facility to search for the cheapest dates, a month or even a year at a time, very helpful on SkyScanner and also Kiwi.com

 

Amazing deals, if your travel dates are flexible!

[patman30]

i used to use cheapair as could pay with crypto
seems travala may be my new go to

[Olmate]

2 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

I have no idea what that means,

 

Mine was never credited back to me in several years. Anyway I just said it was a rip off and their concierge / travel service was useless and a waste of time.  If it works for you then great.

It doesn't change my point though that your post was only intended to show off and was of no use to the OP at all. Unless you were suggesting his best option to find cheaper flights was to qualify for Amex Platinum, apply for it, get approval, receive the card, pay the 40k baht annual membership, then call their help line to book a flight for him. Great advice. But no, not just showing off.

Annualfee  $400 AUD,... 40kbht?? Weird you and cant use Amex travels website either,?  Me showinf off what exactly? guessing they cancelled your.Amex  Platinum hey, stiff that I suppose,  oh and Ops .Question was what exactly😂🥺

[josephbloggs]

3 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Annualfee  $400 AUD,... 40kbht?? 

 

 

Yes, 40,000 baht.

 

Quote

 Weird you and cant use Amex travels website either,?  Me showinf off what exactly? guessing they cancelled your.Amex  Platinum hey, stiff that I suppose,  oh and Ops .Question was what exactly😂🥺

 

You are sad and boring, move along, not joining in with your childish argument any more.

[MangoKorat]

10 hours ago, mdr224 said:

Directly with the airline only. These middlemen websites provide no support when things go wrong

You don't book with the website - they direct you to an agent.

[Cameroni]

I book flights direct only. if there is an issue the airline will direct you back to the booking site potentially, which is not great.

 

Same when you book a hotel with agoda say, you can't then amend the booking once you are in the hotel sometimes, but if you booked direct you can.

Edited September 3 by Cameroni

[spidermike007]

I always book direct with the airlines. Not only is the price usually the same, but it is far easier to change a ticket. 

[MangoKorat]

Interesting that so many insist that booking direct is better but very strange that so many say agents prices are not much cheaper. I always compare before booking and have saved £ thousands. Not an opinion but fact - I travel 4 to 6 times per year so the price is important to me. My last flight with Qatar was £102 cheaper through an agent. May's flight was just £27 cheaper so I booked direct with Etihad.

 

The beauty of using a comparison site is that most also list the airline's price.  I sometimes check this on the airline's website and so far its always been the same. Sometimes more timings are shown on the airline's site

 

One of the annoying things is that sometimes when you click on a flight/price, when you arrive at the agents site, the flight is not available.  They claim its just not updated on the system yet...... bull.

 

Over the years I've learned that its usually the same agents that operate that way - so I avoid them. I won't name full names on this but UK members will probably recognise one with 'Guru' in their name - they are the worst I've seen for this.

Edited September 3 by MangoKorat