It takes a few extra steps and thorough due diligence to save some cash over the internet - travel included.... but it can be done.
1) Input your travel parameters through one of the large search engines like
Kayak (my personal favorite). They will tell you the total cost (inclusive of taxes and fees) and actual flight plans for your itinerary on all major airlines, sans Southwest (which opts out of third party searches) and I think JetBlue as well. Makes it really simple to compare apples to apples. For potential added savings, if any portion of your trip doesn't have to precisely begin or end at a particular airport, I will click on the "include nearby airports" icon. For potential added convenience, I will also re-run my itinerary in two separate one-way segments, with an eye on using different airlines for each trip direction. Maybe one airline will take you there at the time you want, but another airline's return schedule is more convenient for you. Oh, and Kayak has icon check-off boxes for you to compare their searches vs those of the well known discount sites (Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline, etc).
So now you've got yourself a benchmark price and schedule.
2) Go to an airline discount site like
Compete 4 Your Seat (my personal favorite). You gotta register for this one. You then input your flight parameter and send it off. In time (should be less than a day), ticket brokers may post a fare and itinerary for your stated flight parameters. The part I really like is.... it won't be "opaque". Meaning, the "bid" will tell you exactly which flight numbers, on exactly which airlines, exact times, etc they will book your travel for. And the price should be listed in full - no hidden fees and charges. The travel agent sites will likely be unfamiliar to you, but you can pay with credit card - which should have extensive consumer protections.
Now you know if you can squeeze a few bucks cheaper outta the deal
3) Go directly to the airlines' websites. The ones you've decided you liked their prices and schedules. The two aforementioned sites will tell you which exact flight numbers and prices they wanna give you so it shouldn't be too difficult to compare those directly with the airlines. If the airlines' rates are comparable - then I always book directly with them. I just trust them more. And you get frequent flyer miles and choice of available seat assignments with them. If the airlines' sites reflect higher prices, enough to make you think twice, then I go with the budget travel. I've never had any problems whatsoever with booking any budget travel, but I really do trust direct booking over unknown third party sites, and you have to weigh peace of mind when you fork over your dough and credit card numbers.
Hope this helps
And, finally, check out travel oriented forums like
Flyertalk for similar questions.
