I just got duped by the industry, and am not happy about it. I would appreciate some feedback.

Basically, I saw what looked like a great fare on Orbitz an hour before it was put up by AA. The deal was for half of the lowest rate on AAs website, a huge amount for a family of 4 with little ones, and we really needed the direct flight. After shopping all weekend, I grabbed the rate because we needed the direct flight and it was a substantial savings. All this BS from Orbitz showed up "Hurry! Only 7 Seats Left! etc....) I was wondering how did these fares get released to only Orbitz? Was it a mistake or a special for Orbitz? I booked slowly, and kept refreshing the AA website which confirmed that that AA did not matching the rate. I knew it was a great rate because I had been shopping and stressing over it all weekend. Finally I confirmed.

Then about 10 minutes after I complete booking on Orbitz, I get my ding on dealfinder I just loaded yesterday that AA is now offering the same rate.

I know that when booking through AA, I can hold the reservation for 24 hours prior to paying to think about and discuss with the wife, and I know a little about how to deal with them if we have problems. I have no idea how to deal with Orbitz, and they are all sales final. In fact, I am really pissed off about all the "Hurry! Only 7 Seats Left" nonsense that kept popping up during the booking. I also thought my credit card got more rewards when I booked on AA directly, but I could be wrong.

Does anyone know how much difference there is booking between the two, restrictions, etc.?

Thanks in advance, and thanks for allowing me to vent.

Joey