Originally Posted by
exco
What are the disadvantages and risks when we purchase our tickets from a travel agency web site (Expedia, Kayak, Orbitz, Priceline, CheapOair,...etc.) vs from the airline directly? When the flights are canceled or delayed, does the airline give the customers who purchased directly from them higher priority to reroute them ?
If unfortunately, we have to cancel the trip, is it very difficult to get a refund (after penalty fee) from Expedia, Kayak, Orbitz, Priceline, CheapOair,...etc.)?
Thanks in advance!
It is much easier to deal with any changes to flights if you buy directly from the airline. If something goes wrong with a ticket bought from an OTA, you will often have the airline saying they can't fix it and sending you to the OTA, and the OTA placing blame on the airline.
That said, I've purchased many tickets from OTAs and had very few problems. In general, though, unless you're sāving a significant amount of money, I'd buy from the airline. If the price difference is >$50-100, though, it may well make sense to buy the cheaper ticket, assuming you don't think you'll need to change the ticket.