The myriad online booking sites boil down to 8 main airticket discounters.

We have carried out a large survey and found that - although there are only four actual airline ticket systems - there were big price variations between the 8 discount sites and no consistent "best buy". (Probably two reasons for the variations: special deals between a site and an airline; and the complexity of computer interfaces and programing.)

We did uncover some underlying patterns city by city. So by picking the right bunch of sites for a particular travel plan, you can maximise the chance of getting a good deal without spending all day searching.

The results are up on our site: http://simplyquick.com/discount-airfares/

I've also put up on the site a comparison of the main airlines (US and non-US) for quality, safety, comfort and reliability - based on assorted sources, like the U.S. Dept of Transportation (not my own experiences!)

Chuck