Best booking engine
 

Using continental.com something that priced at $200 last nite is now pricing at $400. Similar fares are $200 on orbitz. What booking engine can I use to best find the exact flights I want to book and get the lowest price as continental.com seems to always find the highest price (esp when compared to using nwa.com)

i think you really just have to shop around on each and every itinerary. orbitz used to rock, but it has come back to the pack recently.

Find the flights you want using "search by fare". Then go back and search by time. Plug in the same flights and the fare will drop by 50%. I have had this happen twice in the last two weeks.
The only way to be a knowlegible consumer is to check several sites. I usually check Orbitz, since they frequently identify the lowest fare flights. I then go an check CO.COM both ways. I'm still not sure I'm geting the very lowest fares, but I figure I'm just getting screwed less http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

[This message has been edited by Vulcan (edited 11-18-2002).]

I like Expedia's functionality better, but Orbitz used to kick out lower fares, albeit in long reams of prepackaged round trips you had to pore through. Lately I haven't seen a lot of cost advantage to Orbitz -- none, in fact. I'm glad NW and Expedia settled their snit. Either Expedia or Orbitz display far more options, and usually better fares, than either nwa.com or the Continental site.

[This message has been edited by BearX220 (edited 11-18-2002).]

I have always loved expedia for convenience and ease....but the other day I was pricing an itinerary on Continental's site. A special web fare that was offered was gone ten minutes later when I rechecked.... but .... the same fare was offered on travelocity.( even the be next day) I now have added travelocity to my list to check as well.

The airlines can add or delete prices to their own websites any time they want to, but they are allowed to make changes that affect third party sites only at certain times during the day. I want to say it is 11 AM and 4 PM during the week , but I am not sure. I think it is only once per day on the weekends.

So the airline can take a fare off of its site and the fare still show up on thirdparty sites until the next change time, which on the weekend could be almost 24 hours later.

Occasionally, BestFares discusses this process.