Flights to the USA | GTAMotorcycle.com

Flights to the USA

justride

justride

Well-known member
What websites do you use to book flights to the USA? Air Canada, Kayak , Expedia etc.
Any airlines to stay away from
 
I try to avoid third party sites for booking. Way too many stories of issues and you are SOL. They can be useful to compare rates/days/times/etc. Then head to the airline and book direct. Normally price is the same and you have better luck if something goes wrong.

We flew flair domestic and had no issues at all with the flights. Booking was super weird as it kept showing the cheapest flight as departing from pearson and returning to Waterloo at midnight. Is there a single person that would think that is a good idea? The website definitely should have put a blinking red light on that trip to warn you but they didn't. Where flair seems to fair horribly is if something goes wrong and especially if something goes wrong while you are out of the country. They need to book you on their next flight, but that could be in a week. That is obviously unacceptable for many reasons. You pay a lot more for the larger carriers but you are more likely to get home within a day of your scheduled trip.
 
Going to the US it depends on final destination, I use Air Canada , delta , united , and on rare occasion south west .
Just remember if you book with Expedia or EL Cheapo air , if that flight gets messed up or canceled, the air line will be zero help , sorry , third party booking.
I’m in the US a lot and booking directly isn’t that much more money .
If it’s a connecting flt, to a place where there is only one plane a week, or connecting to a cruise ship , book with the cruise line agent , then the risk to get you to the destination is on them.


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I really don't go anywhere and non direct booking is new to me.
All the travel agency ads on tv would lead me to believe that big savings are offered but I can't seem to find any that suits my needs.
As mentioned, the little difference in prices and the added hassle is not worth it for me.
 
deejizzle said:
google flights to see pricing, then book direct w/ airline (unless the google flight takes you to the direct airline). i personally have no issues with any airlines and **** just happens sometimes, best to book on a CC with good insurance coverage.
Click to expand...

Google flights search is pretty powerful especially if you’re flexible with dates and destinations. Use the map function and you might find that a smaller airport or neighbouring one is way cheaper to fly to. Book direct with the airline as then you don’t get any issues with luggage capacity etc.
 
I used FlightNetwork routinely before the pandemic, but getting the run-around when the pandemic hit had me swear off ever using a third-party travel website again. I'll use them to find out what airlines go to where I want to go, and then book direct with that airline. Customer service in the airline industry is a figment of your imagination, but at least that way, if / when things go sour, the finger can point only in one direction.

Another thing to watch out for; those travel websites will often book multi-leg journeys spanning multiple airlines. That's asking for trouble. If your entire journey, all segments of it, is booked with one airline, and there's a problem at some point (delays or whatever), generally they'll at least attempt to re-book for you, to get you there (if perhaps a little late). If it's two different airlines ... "Not our problem that you missed your connection" ...

I was really glad for this at CDG when the airport only had three agents on passport control and the queue took an hour and a half to get through. AirFrance knew I was in that queue (along with others! I wasn't the last to board the flight) and held the flight to Malaga back.
 
I always just book through Expedia taking whatever shady airline it comes up with. It's my flown on Canada jetways flare some weird Mexican thing never had a problem

Sent from the future
 
I've used BudgetAir with good results.
Hate flying with Air Canada.

It's marketing and info trickery these days with flight info and tickets. One price may look attractive but doesn't include luggage, or no option to pick your seat etc. Sorry ballers I'm not flying 1st class. So watch out for this stuff.
 
I’ve primarily used Expedia for direct flights. Once they get more complex I try and buy directly from the airline.

Google flights will give you the range or pricing.

As for trips / getaways down south I use an actual travel agent. When I checked there’s literally zero difference in price, and she takes care of details and is able to upgrade us sometimes.

Last year to Cuba there was 19 of us. This year to Mexico we’re going as a group of 22.
 
If you actually understand the profit per flight, most of the seats sold are mostly operating cost
 
I always book direct and check multiple airlines.... a couple tips:

-Before you book CLEAR YOUR COOKIES, some sites will bump price/hide the cheapest rates if you keep looking at the same flights over a few days. Giving the impression of high demand, so you better book now.
-Some US carriers require the passenger to have the booking credit card with them, only an issue if you are booking it for someone else. We got burned by this one at work.
 
I book thru the Westjet or Air Canada web sites. If you have a 3 month lead time you can usually get better rates than the so called budget sites.
Westjet was great when it was a publicly trades company partially owned by employees. After Onix bought them they are just another Air Canada.
Tuesday-Thursday are usually the cheapest days to travel.
 
backmarkerducati said:
I always book direct and check multiple airlines.... a couple tips:

-Before you book CLEAR YOUR COOKIES, some sites will bump price/hide the cheapest rates if you keep looking at the same flights over a few days. Giving the impression of high demand, so you better book now.
-Some US carriers require the passenger to have the booking credit card with them, only an issue if you are booking it for someone else. We got burned by this one at work.
Click to expand...
Expedia is known for doing this, I've tried different browsers with their site and got different prices.
I've stopped using them for flights, and try to avoid them all together if I can.
 
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