If you haven't spent the last couple of decades under a rock, chances are you might be already familiar with online booking, if you organized your own vacation trip. While physical travel agencies are still a thing and you can visit them anytime, they are becoming less and less popular due to online travel agencies, which can be accessed with a click of a mouse without ever stepping out of your house! Whether you're looking for a hotel to spend a romantic weekend in, or for a car rental to take your family on a road trip around the country, using online services is not only faster and convenient, but often also cheaper and more secure.
When it comes to flights and booking tickets for them, not many people still decide to go to the airport and wait in a long line to get your ticket, when you can do it in a matter of seconds from your computer or even a phone. Online, you also get the access to countless customer reviews, you can compare the prices, and even save some loyalty points during purchase. However, since there are so many booking services around the web, we have prepared this Top 15 Best Booking Sites for Flights list, which gathers some of the best-reviewed sites from all over the world.
Kayak.com
If you want to find the best prices on airline tickets, Kayak.com is the go-to place for many people. While it is not an online travel agency and will not sell you tickets themselves, they are a metasearch engine, compiling offers and deals from hundreds upon hundreds of airline companies. You can easily input the details of your flight, such as the expected price, seat, destination, class, and many others. The website will then show you a list of offers from any companies it can find, comparing their prices at the same time so you can save not only your time, but also your money. As a bonus, Kayak.com has some useful travel planning tools, which come in handy while organizing your vacation. Thanks to this, not only can you book a flight but you can also take care of accommodation and other means of transport.
Skyscanner
While many booking sites for flights specialize not only in airlines, but also in accommodation and car rentals, Skyscanner utilizes all of its resources to expand their airline-ticket service. While they also provide other services, they are definitely most famous for their flights. With over 1200 partners and an advanced search engine, Skyscanner has gained the respect of its customers, which can be noticed by their high online reviews. The website is extremely easy to use and offers a multitude of options, including a wide range of filters, which are used to further personalize your search so you can find exactly the ticket you’re looking for! Once it's ready, all you have to do is to check all of the details. It would be a bit problematic if it turned out that you had misspelled your own name or chosen a wrong date.
Expedia
Including more than just airline tickets, Expedia mixes a whole arrangement of various services which will help you in planning the trip of your dreams. Except for flights, Expedia can help you find your accommodation of choice with a handy search engine and a list of filters and sorting options. You also gain the access to a database of millions of customer reviews, which are the best way to make certain whether the quality is as advertised. When looking for flights, Expedia offers a handy royalty program, which will allow you to gather points for every flight and hotel you stay at. You can then use these points to save even more money by booking a hotel package or getting a free flight ticket. It's a great option for those who value not only safe but also cheap traveling. Especially people whose ambition is to see as many countries in the world as possible.
Trip.com
When it comes to Trip.com, the reviews are a bit mixed. On one hand, a lot of online customers have left positive reviews regarding Trip.com. praising them on the quality of their service. The tickets that Trip.com offers are way cheaper when compared with the competition, and the transactions are said to go through smoothly and without complications. However, some of the customers have criticized the company for not informing their clients about any changes to the flights, such as it getting delayed or canceled. There are also some instances of mismatched tickets, but the customer service is generally said to resolve most problems.
CheapTickets.com
CheapTickets.com has a similar reputation to Trip.com – some love it, while others hate it. They definitely have some of the cheapest ticket prices available, but they do charge you an additional service charge during the payment, which usually brings the full price to a more regular range. As with the majority of cheap ticket providers, while you can easily save some money, it comes at a cost. For example, the customer support of CheapTickets.com is frequently criticized by online reviewers. Make sure to always check the fine prints while buying your tickets, since the reviews also mention restrictive policies.
Momondo
Momondo is a Danish-based website for searching and comparing prices of airline tickets, established in 2006. Momondo allows you to search through lists of hotels, flights, and even rental cars, so you can book everything you need for your trip in one place. The website has a user-friendly interface with a colorful layout, which is a nice addition when compared to many similar websites using a more crude, simplistic design. Momondo also allows you, if you’re flexible enough, to compare your flight to similar flights around your selected date, which might be cheaper than the date you have selected.
Priceline
Owned by one of the largest travel companies in the world, Priceline offers some of the best deals you can find on the internet. Similarly to many other companies, Priceline offers booking for airline tickets, accommodation, and car rentals. However, there is a small twist to Priceline – they have a special service, which allows you to bid on flights and hotels. The way this service works is that you do not know what you're bidding for, as you only state your price, date, and location. While you may not always get what you were wishing for, it is definitely a cheaper alternative to booking flights elsewhere. However, be prepared that your bid might be rejected and you will have to go through the whole process again, so we recommend using Priceline if you have time to spare before your trip.
Agoda
Agoda, while not as huge as other competitors on the market, has become known far and wide for its superior search engine, which takes into consideration a lot of small details which other websites omit. While searching for a flight, a wide range of sorting options and filters will allow you to customize and personalize the search. After that, you will be presented with a list of matches, where you can see additional details for every entry, which include customer reviews and a rating system. Finally, Agoda hosts a handy reward points system, which works both for flights and for hotels. You can spend the mileage points on free airline tickets, while the hotel points can be spent on packages or free nights.
Travelocity
If you're looking for the lowest prices available on the market, we recommend trying out Travelocity when searching for booking sites for flights. Not only do they have a handy phone app, which you can use if you do not have access to a computer at any given moment, but they guarantee their prices being the lowest. If you find a cheaper price anywhere else on the internet, Travelocity will reimburse you the difference with a bonus of $50 on top of that! Travelocity also features praised customer support, which is loved by reviewers online and consists of multiple ways to contact employees about your problems or doubts.
Google Flights
When it comes to simplicity, there is no better service among booking sites for flights than Google Flights, which has plenty of useful tools for planning your trip. The website even has some analytical tools, which you can use to look through historical data to see when the prices of tickets are the cheapest. Moreover, the search engine is almost instantaneous, often taking less than a second to show matching flights. Google Flights also uses one of the most advanced algorithms out there, which searches through thousands of available offers and finds you the cheapest one. Additionally, Google Flights will also provide you with a list of other transportation methods which made be cheaper or quicker than your flight!
Vayama
While Vayama features a lot of negative reviews online, they are still a legitimate site to think about, often offering some of the cheapest flights available. However, when using Vayama you need to be careful, as there are a couple of traps and extra charges you might find. First of all, only use Vayama if you’re absolutely sure you will not need to change or cancel the reservation, as doing so is almost always impossible with Vayama. Moreover, Vayama’s customer support service is widely criticized online, so if there are any problems with your ticket, it might be better directly contacting the airlines. However, the cheap prices still bring thousands of customers every month, so if you feel like it – give it a try.
CheapOair
Offering something called the Price Match Promise, CheapOair takes their oath of being the cheapest online travel agency seriously. The company’s policy states that if you find a cheaper price for the same flight on a website of any of their major competitors within 24 hours of booking, they will either refund you the difference or give you a full refund. There is a catch, however, as every element of the offer needs to be the same, including the airline, the flight number, itinerary, date, seat, and even number of customers. CheapOair also features frequent discounts, a 24/7 customer support, and easy to use interface.
Justfly.com
Justfly.com is one of the cheap tickets websites which can be a hit or a miss, even though they are a legitimate business. While the prices of Justfly.com often seem much lower than what their competition might offer, it does not include the hefty service charges that Justfly.com puts on its customers. There are also instances of online reviewers saying that their flight has been canceled and they need to pay additional money since the tickets have gone more expensive. Allegedly, Justfly.com cancels some of the reservations themselves, without talking to the airline company. If you need to use Justfly.com, stay vigilant.
Omio
Omio is the perfect tool for traveling enthusiasts out there, as it combines multiple methods of transportation, not only flight tickets. You can search through available trains, coaches, airplanes, and even boats. Omio services are fast and accurate, and they provide a simple to use app which you can download on your phone. Besides comparing the prices of the tickets, you can also read through the customer reviews to get a better idea of the quality of service. Moreover, Omio has a handy feature that allows you to book the tickets for your transportation of choice in large advance, even if the official sale of the tickets has not yet begun!
Ctrip.com
If you're planning a trip to China, you might want to get accustomed to Ctrip.com, which is the leading China travel assistant. With Ctrip.com, you can search for tickets for a variety of travel options, including but not limited to airplanes. The website even allows you to book airport transfers, hotels, and attractions. All of the services you can find on Ctrip.com have online reviews that are updated in real-time, helping you find out more about what you're looking for. There is also a rewards program, which can be used to apply further discounts to your tickets.
