The 7 Best Websites To Book Flights
“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”
Booking flights can really suck. It can be draining, time-consuming and sometimes you never know where to begin, only to find yourself hours later with 100 windows open and only seeing an increase in the original fare you saw. God….why didn’t you just book that first one? It was the lowest and most efficient flight! Gahh!
I only know the above scenario because I’ve found myself in that predicament one too many times. And if you’re in a pinch, or just searching for a flight to go somewhere, don’t let it become an anxiety-filled issue. Tackle it with one of these seven websites and move on with your day. There’s no reason to ‘continue searching’ for the perfect flight when you can just get it right the first time and be done with it!
So, let’s get you from point A to B, shall we? In my opinion, these are the best sites to go to for user-experience, efficiency, and most importantly…..price.
Side note: This blog is purely from my only personal experiences and does NOT dive into the app world of flight searches, point reward programs or any type of flight matrixes (sorry, Google Flights & ITA Flight Matrix). These are just the best go-to flight search platforms for when I need to book a flight, and rather quick.
Pro Tip: Before you book a flight, or even open a browser, restart your computer and open an ‘Incognito’ browser in Google Chrome. It will help and pay off by the time you do book. Trust me.
Here we go.
7) CheapOAir
I have used CheapOAir in the past, and it does make searching for flights rather easy and efficient. Their customer service is above average, however, not all flights can be refunded and their insurance and buyer policies are only good for 24-hours. If you are in a pinch and looking for a good flight quick, they can be a decent go to without too much hassle.
Don’t expect a luxury-level of customer service, either. This is a great site for younger professionals, college students, or those who know they need to travel. Very often, CheapOAir lists good layover flights with a mix of airlines, so obviously don’t expect to rack up points with your one card on one airline. It’s a very good mix-and-match platform worthy of visiting when you start out searching for flights.
6) Kiwi.com
Kiwi.com has always treated me with respect, which is what you want to feel when you’re booking a flight. No one wants to be hurried with, ‘Only 1 seat left at this price!’ even though that kind of stuff works. I mean, how many times have you gotten on a flight and been like, ‘I thought that website said only one seat left…’ while there are obviously plenty of seats left?
Only me? Ok, then.
Anyway, Kiwi.com makes it easy to search for flights, trains and buses and is neatly organized into a site. So, if you are planning a backpacking adventure and want to pair up a few things, you easily can. Kiwi makes it especially easy for airport transfers etc. so you can just breeze right past the ticket line after arriving at your destination.
Plus, they have packages, too. If you want to go somewhere you can book a whole entire package trip for a good, fair price. The prices aren’t the cheapest I’ve ever seen, but there are no hidden fees, you can book right there on the site, and the lack or ads and easy experience make it worthwhile to pay for a modest flight price etc.
Check ‘em out and I’d recommend them if you’re looking for a new platform to search on. Plus, you can just search on the map itself if you don’t know a specific airport code, which I think is a super nice feature.
5) Kayak.com
I’ve always had good luck with Kayak.com and it’s easy to use interface. You can search for flights, rental cars and hotels here which make it a great go-to for any business traveler. Plus, they have great customer service when you need to speak with someone, as well as great prices and buyer protection plans.
Their international flights seem to be at better prices than domestic (in the US) so keep that in mind, too.
Either way, the color scheme and quick booking process without having to open multiple other pages makes it a must visit for me when searching for flights. Not a ton of adds, quick and easy to use and just awesome.
4) SkyScanner
UK-based SkyScanner lands on my list at number four because they work with top-affiliated airlines throughout the world. No budget airlines are featured on SkyScanner and it makes it easy to know you are getting a quality flight for the right price while knowing you will get water and at least peanuts while flying (can’t say that for all flight operators….).
Anyway, while I haven’t per se found the cheapest seats anywhere, if I want to look for a quality flight, I’m going to SkyScanner first and then working backwards. You can book right there on the site where they often have deals, discounts and a searchable map (love that feature!) and can take care of everything with fantastic customer service and an app to boot. Flights, hotels and car rentals are all fantastic useable and searchable features, too.
For Europe, there is no one better than SkyScanner (except for maybe our next two), and they should easily be on your list for flight searches and places to start.
3) Momondo.com
Colorful and Copenhagen-based Momondo.com will always be one of my favorite platforms to search for cheap flights. Their simple, easy interface makes searching for flights nearly painless and their platform is quick….no more anxious waiting for minutes while thousands of flight options appear in front of you one at a time.
Momondo also has searchable features that just feel better to use than most other sites, making it very quick and easy to decipher what flight will be best for you and your family. While flights to Europe tend to be on the cheaper side from Momondo, they also have a display feature that tells you the cheapest adjacent days related to your search. So, if you are a flexible traveler, Momondo is great to have and use.
Their app, blog and everything else also make it great to learn about new destinations and discover more bucket-list places to go to.
Not the cheapest Asia or Africa flights ever, but they do a great job of displaying great options overall. The only caveat is you cannot book on their site and you must visit a third-party platform to finalize your booking.
2) Vayama.com
Vayama.com will always have a soft place in my heart as the cheapest international flight search website on the planet. I am unsure why, but their prices (for international flights only) seem to constantly be FAR cheaper than anywhere else in the world. I really don’t know how they do it, but their specialty is most definitely Asia. European flights are sometimes astronomically low, but often times I will see the same prices as other sights, which leads me to believe they somehow have the inside track to Asian destinations for flight searches.
Now, for national flights, their prices do seem to be a bit higher, unless you are searching for cross-country flights, but again, I can’t tell where their edge is when it comes to national flights. Considering their motto is, ‘International Travel Solved’ it may only be for international flights.
They also have transfers, hotels, cars and more available to search and add on for your itinerary in an easy-to-use interface that makes searching for cheap flights nice and easy. Always a go to before my last stop at number one.
1) Expedia.com
I know what you are thinking….’REALLY, CAM?!’ but Expedia.com takes the cake for me and here’s why. Their points and rewards program is fantastic. Log in, create an account and use Expedia.com as often as you can for flights, hotels and car rentals. I have bene personally upgraded more than a few times simply for using Expedia.com at various hotels, car rental places and earned enough points to severely decrease a lot of my flight costs.
Over time, I really think (if you fly a lot or book things) that Expedia.com is the best go to. For flights, both national and international, they really do have the best flight prices about 60-70% of the time. And if you are searching for a flight and hotel combination, you cannot beat the discounts you get with booking both at the same time with Expedia.
NOW, I do hate the user-experience of going on Expedia.com. With all the flashy ads, options, low-res images, and poorly put together site with too much to offer, it can be an eyesore and cause a headache. However, if you start here and work your way backward, you are guaranteed to save some money, especially if you sign up for Expedia Rewards. If you don’t have it, then Expedia might not be for you.
Either way, give it a shot and let me know what you think.
~ Cam OUT!
P.S. I’ll be blogging about TSA Pre-check, Clear, the best flight apps, hacks and more here on our blog. Comment to let us know what you want to hear next or drop me a line at: cam@voyedgerx.com
Drop me a comment down below and let us know what sites you use to search for flights
Read more about cheap websites from The Points Guy
Read more Travel Tips from VoyEdge RX
