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Best Online Travel Agencies

Booking.com is our top choice for making your trip arrangements

Ligaya Malones is an editor, blogger, and freelance writer specializing in food and travel. Ligaya's work has appeared in publications including Lonely Planet and BRIDES.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Planning a trip can be easier through an online travel agency than if you handle each aspect of the planning separately. You can book hotels, air travel, rental cars, and more through a single site, and booking everything together sometimes results in discounts. By inputting a destination, a range of dates, and other preferences, you will see a list of options for each aspect of travel.

The best online travel agencies offer options from the largest number of airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, and more. Look for sites that offer discounts for combining reservations for different aspects of your trip. For example, the best sites will have lower rates if you book both plane tickets and a hotel through their services. The best sites also provide reviews from customers who actually have booked through the service. These are our top picks.

• Best Overall: Booking.com
• Best Budget: Skyscanner
• Best Price Predictor: Hopper
• Most Innovative: Kiwi.com
• Best for Eco-Conscious: Kind Traveler
• Best for Social Impact: I Like Local
• Best for Design-Forward Homestays: Plum Guide
• Our Top Picks
• Booking.com

Kind Traveler

I Like Local

• See More (4)

Final Verdict

Frequently asked questions, methodology, best overall : booking.com.

 Booking.com

This industry leader offers one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms on the Internet.

Lots of options to choose from

Interface is easy to use

Numerous filters to customize your search

Tricky to tell whether changes/cancellations can be made with Booking.com or the vendor directly

Booking.com was founded in 1996 and has grown into an industry leader that stands out for being one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms out there. From one website, you can compare and book accommodations, flights (including one-way and multi-city flights), sightseeing activities, and even airport taxis. The website lists more than 28 million accommodation options, from hotels, hostels, and B&Bs to vacation homes and luxury resorts—you can browse more choices per destination on Booking.com than other online travel agencies. The website also performs well on cost and typically returns lower-than-average prices for flights and hotels. 

Booking.com's interface is also easy to use. On the home page, search for a hotel by entering your chosen destination and dates. Then, use the extensive list of filters—such as price range and distance from the city center—to narrow the results down and find the best fit. You can also search for a specific hotel, or seek inspiration by clicking through options grouped by destination or property type or by topic such as the country’s best Michelin-starred hotel restaurants or the top cities for vegan travelers. The flights, car rental, and other tabs are just as intuitive. 

Best Budget : Skyscanner

 Skyscanner

You can compare prices across airlines, hotels, and car rentals.

Simple interface

Option to toggle searches between specific dates or by monthly calendars

Search Everywhere button is great for spontaneous planners

Extra clicks are required to make a final purchase

Must read fine print for changes/cancellations—may need to deal directly with the vendor

Ads on the sidebar can be distracting

Find deals on airfare, hotels, and car rentals with an aggregator site like Skyscanner , which uses a metasearch engine to compare prices from all online travel agencies and the airline, hotel, or car rental company in question. Run searches with fixed dates, opt to compare airfare prices month to month, or click “Cheapest Month.” Searches also include options for nearby airports or non-stop flights only. With hotel searches, you can choose to select only from properties with free cancellation, a cleanliness rating of 4.5/5 or higher, or 3- or 4-starred hotels only. Car rental searches include an option to select “return car to different location.”

Once you’ve found the best rate, click on the link to be redirected to the third-party site to make your booking. Feeling spontaneous? The Search Everywhere button on the homepage offers a list of the cheapest flight deals for destinations both locally and across the world—just plug in your departure airport first.

Best Price Predictor : Hopper

The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting when flights and hotel rates will be cheapest.

Color-coded system makes it easy to determine cheapest days to buy

App is easy to use

Option to track flights and receive alerts when the best time to buy arises

Some have mentioned the app functions better as a research tool than a booking tool

Unclear whether Hopper will price match if you find a cheaper flight elsewhere

Hopper is a travel app available on iOS and Android that aims to help travelers save on airfare by usng historical data and their own algorithm to predict when flights will be cheapest. Just type in where and when you’d like to fly and Hopper will present you with a color-coded pricing calendar indicating how much tickets are likely to cost. (Green is the least expensive, then yellow, orange, and red for most expensive.) Hopper will also recommend you either buy now or wait, or you can choose to watch a trip and receive notifications on the best time to buy. In addition, the app has expanded to offer hotel and car rental price predictions, too.

Some newer features since the app’s inception in 2009 include an option to freeze a price for a limited time—for an extra fee—as well as exclusive app-only discounts. Hopper is free to download, and you can choose to book directly through the app, though some users mentioned they use Hopper as more of a research tool before booking directly with the airline or hotel. The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting flight rates up to a year ahead.

Most Innovative : Kiwi.com

This metasearch engine scours the web to piece together the ideal itinerary using planes, trains, buses, and more.

Creative itineraries get you where you need to go, especially if you’ve got a multi-stop trip

Kiwi Guarantee offers rebooking or cancellation protections

Nomad option appeals to travelers with a lot of flexibility

Creative itineraries mean you may not fly out of the same airport you flew into

Kiwi Guarantee has an additional fee

Charges all-in-one fee for booking flights, trains, buses (though you can always purchase a la carte)

Travelers planning multi-city destinations and seeking a bargain, as well as those looking to take planes, trains, and automobiles to get there, might consider Kiwi . Kiwi is a metasearch engine that scours and pieces together itineraries from various airlines (even if they don’t have a codeshare agreement), considers multiple airports (even if your arrival airport is different from departure), and offers booking options, whether you’re looking at very specific dates or more general ones (up to 60 nights).

Some will find the ability to make multiple bookings for a particular trip more convenient than going at it manually several different times, though note that you must opt into the Kiwi Guarantee program to access rebooking and refund protections should your reservation change or be canceled. Kiwi’s Nomad option allows you to plug in a bunch of destinations you’d like to visit and the length of your intended stay, and the website will churn out the most affordable itineraries for review.

Best for Eco-Conscious : Kind Traveler

A give-and-get business model means booking accommodations with exclusive perks, a donation to environmental organizations, and more.

All participating hotels include a local give-back component

Exclusive savings and perks

Participating hotels are located in some of the most beautiful places in the world

Inventory is much smaller compared to other booking platforms

Some of the amenities mentioned are based on availability only

In 2022, Kind Traveler (an online trave agency focused on hotel bookings) announced an increase in environmentally and socially conscious hotels, charity donations, voluntourism opportunities, and additional perks like waived resort fees or a welcome amenity.

Unlock exclusive hotel rates and perks from participating Kind Traveler hotels with a minimum $10/night minimum donation to a local charity. For example, stay at the Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives and receive up to $33 off the nightly rate and perks such as a food and beverage credit and an Earth Lab or Alchemy Bar workshop when you make a donation to Manta Trust. The organization funds coastal research to protect the island nation’s large yet fragile population of reef mantas.

Select from more than 140 participating hotels from the Hawaiian Islands to Bozeman, Montana, and the Maldives. Charities include wildlife, human rights, arts, education, and environmental preservation organizations.

Best for Social Impact : I Like Local

Choose from a host of travel experiences with the peace of mind that 100 percent of the cost goes directly to local partners.

Social impact mission woven into organization’s business model

Immersive experiences led by local guides

Range of experiences offered

May not be best fit for those seeking upscale, luxury experiences and stays

Can’t sort experiences by a list of countries (though an interactive map is available)

No experiences outside of Africa and Asia

For an online travel agency with a booking platform designed to route dollars spent directly to the communities travelers intend to visit, consider I Like Local . Visit the website to browse a host of travel experiences in countries including Indonesia, Kenya, and Cambodia. Experiences include homestays and farmstays as well as wellness and culturally oriented experiences—from cooking and cycling tours to weaving classes.

To search for an experience, select from drop-down items like travel dates and experience categories, or view a global map and click on a country to view experiences that way.

The platform got its start in 2014 and has grown to 4,000 local hosts across nearly 20 countries. As a social impact organization, 100 percent of each booking fee goes to local hosts. To date, 16,000 travelers have booked with I Like Local.

Best for Design-Forward Homestays : Plum Guide

Browse and book seriously vetted, design-forward vacation homes.

Highly curated inventory of vacation rentals across the world

Design-forward

Thorough vetting process

Does not publish guest reviews

Other platforms have homes available across more destinations

When it comes to booking a vacation home, serviced apartment, or condo, travelers are spoiled for choice. Plum Guide is an online travel agency that specializes in accommodations—though not just any home makes its directory. The company claims that each potential home listed on its site must jump through 150 hoops to be included, from internet speed and mattress and pillow quality to the showers’ water pressure and the home’s proximity to dining, shopping, and attractions.

Search by a featured collection on the website such as “ pet-friendly homes ” or “one-of-a-kind homes in Palm Springs.” Scroll to the bottom of its homepage to view its top destinations, as well as a list of all destinations where Plum Guide homes are available, including Barbados, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland, the U.S., and Turkey. Note: From the top right-hand corner of the site, use the dropdown menu to select currency of choice.

As long as you know what you value most out of your travel experience—such as affordability, social impact, or luxe accommodations—there’s an online travel agency to help plan your next trip. Be sure to read the fine print, as some agencies are third-party websites and not direct vendors. If you're not sure where to start, Booking.com is your best bet for a smooth user experience and hard-to-beat offers on flights, hotels, and other travel arrangements.

What Is the Biggest Travel Agency?

Our choice for best overall, Booking.com, is known as an industry leader with listings for all major hotels, airlines, car rental companies, and more. It boasts more choices for accommodations per destination than any other site, and we found its interface to be user-friendly.

Are Online Travel Agencies Worth It?

This depends on your needs and priorities. The best online travel agencies certainly can save time by booking everything all at once. However, if you're someone who is good at haggling and enjoys the details of planning a trip, you might be able to find better deals by reaching out to hotels or other destinations and speaking to someone personally.

Is It Cheaper to Book Online Than With a Travel Agent?

Not always. A travel agent you know and trust should have the experience and connections to find deals that can match or surpass what you'll find online. Additionally, if something goes wrong, travel agents provide you with an actual person you can use as an advocate to correct the problem . But if you don't have access to a good travel agent, online sites still provide plenty of ways to streamline planning and save money .

We considered dozens of online travel agencies and narrowed down the options based on user experience, volume and quality of inventory, unique offerings and specials, and customer reviews. We also assessed travel companies’ environmentally and socially conscious policies.

Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images

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Saving Money on Your Summer Vacation

Compare flights from 100s of sites.

Big names, great deals, filter for what you want, track prices, more than flights, start your travel planning here, search flights , hotels & rental cars.

• Hi New York City Hostel $58+
• West Side Ymca $105+
• Pod 51 $160+
• Radio Hotel $161+
• Pod Times Square $169+
• The Gallivant Times Square $175+
• OYO Times Square $179+
• Pod 39 $180+
• The Washington $183+
• Paramount Times Square $192+
• DoubleTree by Hilton New York Downtown $200+
• Westgate New York Grand Central $201+
• DoubleTree by Hilton New York Times Square West $204+
• The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel $208+
• The New Yorker A Wyndham Hotel $211+
• Flight Atlanta - New York (ATL - LGA) $39+
• Flight Atlanta - Newark (ATL - EWR) $39+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Newark (FLL - EWR) $40+
• Flight Chicago - New York (ORD - LGA) $50+
• Flight Dallas - Newark (DFW - EWR) $55+
• Flight Miami - Newark (MIA - EWR) $55+
• Flight Dallas - New York (DFW - LGA) $60+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - New York (FLL - LGA) $61+
• Flight Orlando - Newark (MCO - EWR) $71+
• Flight Miami - New York (MIA - LGA) $76+
• Flight Orlando - New York (MCO - LGA) $78+
• Flight Chicago - Newark (ORD - EWR) $87+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - New York (FLL - JFK) $117+
• Flight Miami - New York (MIA - JFK) $117+
• Flight Los Angeles - Newark (LAX - EWR) $155+
• Monumental Movieland Hotel $50+
• Grand Hotel Kissimmee At Celebration $53+
• Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Orlando Resort & Suites Intl Drive $68+
• Flight Atlanta - Orlando (ATL - MCO) $40+
• Flight Philadelphia - Orlando (PHL - MCO) $40+
• Flight Baltimore - Orlando (BWI - MCO) $48+
• Book A Bed Hostels $24+
• Generator London $34+
• Palmers Lodge Swiss Cottage $36+
• Nx London Hostel $38+
• Flight New York - London (JFK - LHR) $276+
• Flight Newark - London (EWR - LHR) $276+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - London (IAD - LHR) $276+
• Flight Boston - London (BOS - LHR) $323+

Fort Lauderdale

• Red Carpet Inn Airport Fort Lauderdale $66+
• Fort Lauderdale Grand Hotel $67+
• HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof Fort Lauderdale $69+
• Flight Baltimore - Fort Lauderdale (BWI - FLL) $33+
• Flight Philadelphia - Fort Lauderdale (PHL - FLL) $39+
• Flight Atlanta - Fort Lauderdale (ATL - FLL) $40+
• Green Tortoise Hostel Seattle $64+
• Coast Gateway Hotel $176+
• Travelodge by Wyndham Seattle By The Space Needle $176+
• Flight Los Angeles - Seattle (LAX - SEA) $61+
• Flight Ontario - Seattle (ONT - SEA) $75+
• Flight Phoenix - Seattle (PHX - SEA) $81+
• Fabhotel Royal Residency Ii $21+
• The Altruist Business Hotel Hitech $27+
• Taj Mahal Hotel Abids $29+
• Flight Newark - Mumbai (EWR - BOM) $478+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - Hyderabad (IAD - HYD) $586+
• Flight New York - Mumbai (JFK - BOM) $596+
• Smile Hotel Premium Sapporo Susukino $42+
• Sapporo Tokyu Rei Hotel $46+
• Best Western Sapporo Odori Koen $47+
• Flight Los Angeles - Tokyo (LAX - NRT) $578+
• Flight San Francisco - Tokyo (SFO - NRT) $629+
• Flight Dallas - Tokyo (DFW - NRT) $757+
• Kuhio Banyan Club $107+
• Royal Grove Waikiki $117+
• Ohia Waikiki Studio Suites $131+
• Flight Los Angeles - Honolulu (LAX - HNL) $186+
• Flight San Francisco - Honolulu (SFO - HNL) $201+
• Flight San Jose - Honolulu (SJC - HNL) $209+
• Super 8 by Wyndham Dallas Love Field Airport $51+
• Dallas Love Field Inn $52+
• Wyndham Garden Dallas North $60+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Dallas (FLL - DFW) $40+
• Flight Phoenix - Dallas (PHX - DFW) $46+
• Flight Atlanta - Dallas (ATL - DFW) $51+
• The STRAT Hotel, Casino & Tower $16+
• Harrah's Las Vegas Hotel & Casino $23+
• OYO Hotel And Casino Las Vegas $24+
• Silver Sevens Hotel & Casino $37+
• Flight Burbank - Las Vegas (BUR - LAS) $33+
• Flight Los Angeles - Las Vegas (LAX - LAS) $36+
• Flight Oakland - Las Vegas (OAK - LAS) $45+
• Flight Seattle - Las Vegas (SEA - LAS) $51+
• Freehand Chicago $43+
• Chicago Getaway Hostel $56+
• Travelodge by Wyndham Downtown Chicago $128+
• Flight Atlanta - Chicago (ATL - MDW) $38+
• Flight Boston - Chicago (BOS - ORD) $40+
• Flight Denver - Chicago (DEN - ORD) $48+

San Francisco

• Hi San Francisco Downtown Hostel $49+
• The Mosser $68+
• Axiom Hotel $125+
• Flight Ontario - San Francisco (ONT - SFO) $47+
• Flight Phoenix - San Francisco (PHX - SFO) $53+
• Flight Santa Ana - San Francisco (SNA - SFO) $57+

Washington, D.C.

• Generator Hotel Washington DC $45+
• Days Inn by Wyndham Washington DC/Connecticut Avenue $101+
• Citizenm Washington DC Noma $132+
• Motto by Hilton Washington DC City Center $136+
• Citizenm Washington Dc Capitol $136+
• Henley Park Hotel $139+
• Omni Shoreham Hotel $143+
• Washington Plaza Hotel $144+
• Beacon Hotel & Corporate Quarters $148+
• Hyatt Place Washington DC/US Capitol $149+
• Morrison Clark Historic Inn $154+
• Hamilton Hotel - Washington DC $156+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Baltimore (FLL - BWI) $40+
• Flight Atlanta - Baltimore (ATL - BWI) $47+
• Flight Orlando - Baltimore (MCO - BWI) $53+
• Flight Boston - Baltimore (BOS - BWI) $58+
• Flight Dallas - Baltimore (DFW - BWI) $83+
• Flight Chicago - Baltimore (ORD - BWI) $89+
• Flight Houston - Baltimore (IAH - BWI) $103+
• Flight Houston - Baltimore (HOU - BWI) $109+
• Flight Los Angeles - Baltimore (LAX - BWI) $112+
• Flight Miami - Washington, D.C. (MIA - DCA) $127+
• Flight Boston - Washington, D.C. (BOS - DCA) $133+
• Flight Dallas - Washington, D.C. (DFW - DCA) $162+
• Hotel Casa Mallorca $56+
• Wyndham Garden Cancun Downtown $68+
• Suites Malecon Cancun $80+
• Flight Dallas - Cancún (DFW - CUN) $182+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Cancún (FLL - CUN) $183+
• Flight Houston - Cancún (HOU - CUN) $192+

United States

• Flight Newark - Fort Lauderdale (EWR - FLL) $40+
• Flight Newark - Miami (EWR - MIA) $40+
• Tip Top Motel Cafe & Bakery $153+
• Kauai Palms Hotel $189+
• Kauai Inn $241+
• Flight Los Angeles - Hawaii (LAX - USHI) $186+
• Flight San Francisco - Hawaii (SFO - USHI) $196+
• Flight San Jose - Hawaii (SJC - USHI) $209+
• Stay Classy $56+
• California Suites Hotel $98+
• Super 8 by Wyndham San Diego Hotel Circle $99+
• Flight San Jose - San Diego (SJC - SAN) $48+
• Flight Denver - San Diego (DEN - SAN) $58+
• Flight Phoenix - San Diego (PHX - SAN) $59+
• Shared Living Not A Hotel $32+
• Super 8 by Wyndham Phoenix West $49+
• HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof Phoenix - Black Canyon Highway $54+
• Flight Ontario - Phoenix (ONT - PHX) $43+
• Flight Dallas - Phoenix (DFW - PHX) $49+
• Flight Salt Lake City - Phoenix (SLC - PHX) $53+

Los Angeles

• Boutique Hostel $34+
• Freehand Los Angeles $49+
• City Center Hotel $100+
• Rotex Western Inn $108+
• Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport $109+
• The Dixie Hollywood $123+
• USC Hotel $127+
• Flight Oakland - Los Angeles (OAK - LAX) $39+
• Flight Salt Lake City - Los Angeles (SLC - LAX) $39+
• Flight San Jose - Los Angeles (SJC - LAX) $50+
• Flight San Francisco - Los Angeles (SFO - LAX) $53+
• Flight Seattle - Los Angeles (SEA - LAX) $55+
• Flight Portland - Los Angeles (PDX - LAX) $68+
• Flight Philadelphia - Los Angeles (PHL - LAX) $75+
• Selina Gold Dust $50+
• La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Miami Airport North $69+
• Motel 6 Miami. Fl $78+
• Miami Gardens Inn & Suites $79+
• La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Miami Airport East $83+
• Days Inn by Wyndham Miami International Airport $86+
• Holiday Inn Miami West - Airport Area $96+
• Holiday Inn Miami-Doral Area, An IHG Hotel $102+
• Life House, Little Havana $103+
• Staybridge Suites Miami International Airport $107+
• The Palms Inn & Suites $108+
• Flight Baltimore - Miami (BWI - MIA) $39+
• Flight Philadelphia - Miami (PHL - MIA) $39+
• Flight Dallas - Miami (DFW - MIA) $40+
• Flight Detroit - Miami (DTW - MIA) $40+
• Flight Raleigh - Miami (RDU - MIA) $46+
• Flight Chicago - Miami (MDW - MIA) $48+
• Flight Chicago - Miami (ORD - MIA) $50+
• Flight Atlanta - Miami (ATL - MIA) $51+
• Flight Charlotte - Miami (CLT - MIA) $55+
• Flight Houston - Miami (HOU - MIA) $58+
• Hometowne Studios by Red Roof Denver - Glendale/Cherry Creek $68+
• Super 8 by Wyndham Denver Stapleton $80+
• Baymont by Wyndham Denver International Airport $87+
• La Quinta Inn & Suites By Wyndham Denver Airport Dia $106+
• Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Denver Airport $107+
• Renu On Wazee $120+
• Renaissance Denver Central Park Hotel $126+
• Flight Houston - Denver (HOU - DEN) $53+
• Flight Houston - Denver (IAH - DEN) $53+
• Flight Ontario - Denver (ONT - DEN) $55+
• Flight Chicago - Denver (ORD - DEN) $57+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - Denver (DCA - DEN) $57+
• Flight Los Angeles - Denver (LAX - DEN) $59+
• Flight Baltimore - Denver (BWI - DEN) $68+
• Hi Boston Hostel $65+
• Ramada by Wyndham Boston $149+
• The Revolution Hotel $170+
• Flight Chicago - Boston (ORD - BOS) $42+
• Flight Newark - Boston (EWR - BOS) $44+
• Flight Baltimore - Boston (BWI - BOS) $58+
• Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Atlanta Airport $63+
• La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Atlanta Airport North $96+
• Sonesta Atlanta Airport North $98+
• Flight Chicago - Atlanta (MDW - ATL) $37+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Atlanta (FLL - ATL) $39+
• Flight New York - Atlanta (LGA - ATL) $40+
• Generator Madrid $25+
• Toc Hostel Madrid $33+
• C&h Aravaca Garden $39+
• Flight Miami - Madrid (MIA - MAD) $253+
• Rodeway Inn Fairgrounds-Casino $66+
• Econo Lodge Airport at RJ Stadium $69+
• Tampa Inn Near Busch Gardens $70+
• Flight Dallas - Florida (DFW - USFL) $40+
• Flight Newark - Florida (EWR - USFL) $40+
• Flight Philadelphia - Florida (PHL - USFL) $40+
• Flight Atlanta - Tampa (ATL - TPA) $44+
• Flight Raleigh - Tampa (RDU - TPA) $51+
• Flight Baltimore - Tampa (BWI - TPA) $57+

New Orleans

• Super 8 by Wyndham New Orleans $51+
• Maison Saint Charles by Hotel RL $85+
• Hampton Inn and Suites New Orleans Convention Center $91+
• Flight Dallas - New Orleans (DFW - MSY) $38+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - New Orleans (FLL - MSY) $44+
• Flight Houston - New Orleans (HOU - MSY) $44+

Frequently asked questions about KAYAK

How do i find travel deals on kayak.

Simply use one of our travel search engines to scan for prices gathered from hundreds of travel sites. KAYAK’s search results pages have loads of filter options to help you find deals, discover exactly what you’re looking for and make booking seamless. Plus, there’s no extra fee from KAYAK.

What makes KAYAK a great travel app?

On the KAYAK app for iOS and Android you’ll find all the great travel offers found on the website and much more. There are special mobile rates and app only deals that allow you to save even more money. Plus, you can get notifications straight to your phone letting you know when prices for your next trip have dropped. But the KAYAK app is much more than just a travel app. Use the Trips function to manage your travel itinerary and get up to date status alerts on flights, check-in changes and to store your boarding pass. Even if you’re in the middle of nowhere on your travels, you can still access your travel notes via Trips, as no internet connection is required.

How can I use KAYAK to manage my travel bookings?

KAYAK Trips creates a travel itinerary for you that will give you flight status alerts, can be shared with friends and more. Simply forward your booking confirmations to [email protected] or use the KAYAK app and sync your email account to keep all your travel plans organized in one app, even if you didn’t book with KAYAK. You can share your holiday plans with friends and family and also check out your travel stats for past vacations, like how far you’ve traveled, your most popular cities and how many times you’ve traveled around the world. Even if you don’t have signal, don’t worry, as you can access Trips to check out your itineraries whilst on the road. Your data is safe and secure with us and you won’t have to re-enter credit card info when booking future trips. If you want to make changes or cancel bookings, then you should contact the travel provider, which is provided on the booking confirmation.

What are KAYAK Price Alerts?

Instead of manually checking back in on the price of your next flight or stay, let KAYAK do the hard work for you with KAYAK Price Alerts. Once you’ve saved your search, our data will determine how the price will rise or fluctuate over the coming days. You’ll then get a push notification letting you know when’s the perfect time to book.

Search flights , hotels , rental cars , travel guides and more with KAYAK. KAYAK searches hundreds of other travel sites at once to get you the information you need to make the right decisions.

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The 10 best online travel agencies in 2024

The top 10 online travel agencies.

• Booking.com
• Lastminute.com

Best online travel agencies for business travel

1. travelperk.

Main offerings and features:

• Industry-leading travel inventory
• Flexible booking with FlexiPerk
• Safety alerts with TravelCare
• Integrated travel policy & approval flows
• Centralized invoicing
• Easy & real-time expense reports
• Carbon offsetting with GreenPerk
• 24/7 fast customer support in target 15s
• VAT reclaim
• Integration with 3rd party tools , such as expense management or HR software like Expensify and BambooHR

Save time and money on your business travel with TravelPerk

2. sap concur.

• Works with some of the biggest brands
• Easy tracking and reporting of expenses for expense reports
• Many connected apps, such as Uber and Airbnb for cars and hotels
• One solution for a variety of business travel spending

Click below to compare both platforms’ features and benefits

• Ample integrations
• Award-winning mobile app
• Employee-centric travel management

Click below for a more detailed comparison between both platforms:

Best online travel agencies for leisure travel, 1. booking.com.

• Intuitive booking tool and website
• Flight + Hotel booking for easily planning trips with no cross-referencing travel websites
• Simple car rental options and taxi hire
• Available in over 40 different languages and offers over half a million properties across 207 countries
• You can book experiences in your destination city to entertain you on your travels
• Genius rewards program

• Simple interface and booking tool
• Deals when making more than one booking
• 38 different languages and offers a 24-hour, multilingual customer support service
• Free cancellation within 24 hours of booking
• Millions of reviews to help make your decision

3. Lastminute.com

• Filter hotels according to budgets, star ratings, guest ratings, board types, and more
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• Operates in nearly 70 countries and in over 35 different languages
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• Book hotels, flights, cars, and bundles
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6. Bookmundi

Best online travel agencies for flights

1. skyscanner.

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• Hundreds of location and currency options
• One-way, return, and multi-city travel options

2. Kiwi.com

• Simple flight booking tool
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• Discover deals anywhere with the option to open up your search
• Easy-to-use app

How do online travel agencies work?

What are the advantages of booking through an online travel agency.

• Access to comparison tools
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• Flexible cancellation policies
• All your travel in one place
• Local flights and deals

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The Complete Guide to Booking Travel Online

What is an online travel agency, and what are the best sites and apps to use to search for hotels and flights we break it all down for you..

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There’s a lot to navigate when researching and booking travel online.

Photo by Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

My first travel adventure was to Venezuela. I booked the ticket with a travel agent over a pay phone. The agent searched a dozen flight itineraries over a few days, all so I could save $15.

Times have changed. Today, flight searches start online , often on your mobile device. Passengers book either directly with the airline or hotel or with online travel agencies. Rarely do we get on the phone. In fact, American Airlines and United Airlines charge $25 to make a domestic flight booking by phone. And pay phones hardly exist anymore.

So, what is the best way to book online? Here is our complete guide to online travel agencies, search tools, and the variety of booking options available on both mobile devices and desktops.

What is an OTA?

An online travel agency, or OTA, is a website or mobile app that allows users to search for and book travel services such as flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and activities. The booking is made directly with the online travel agency but confirmed by the service provider, such as an airline or a hotel. As a customer, your relationship is with the OTA.

What are the main OTAs?

Many online travel agencies nowadays are owned by two main companies: Expedia and Priceline. The Expedia Group is the largest online travel agency in the United States with 70 percent market share, according to travel data firm Phocuswright. Expedia Group operates Expedia.com , Orbitz, Hotels.com , Trivago, CheapTickets , Hotwire , Vrbo , and Travelocity .

Priceline is a major competitor to Expedia, with global revenues larger than the Expedia Group. The company owns Priceline.com, Booking.com, Cheapflights, Momondo, and Kayak—the latter two being metasearch engines (more on that below).

There are also independent newcomers such as Hopper (a mobile-only booking tool) and Kiwi.com (which allows you to book flights on air carriers that don’t normally have a commercial relationship).

Are OTA fares lower than booking directly?

Generally, no. The fares that are displayed by an OTA will be similar if not slightly more expensive when compared to an airline’s website. They’re usually only a few dollars higher or lower. The OTAs charge a booking fee to the airlines, and often that fee is passed directly to consumers. For example, Lufthansa tacks on an additional $18 to any booking made through an OTA for Lufthansa flights. The same flights are exactly $18 cheaper on the airline’s website.

Where you can score a good travel deal through an OTA is when booking a last-minute hotel and flight package. Many OTAs have cut agreements with airlines allowing last-minute travelers to access lower rates than are typically available when passengers book a flight alone.

Are all airlines available to be booked through OTAs?

No. Many OTAs do not display flights from some of the low-fare leaders. For example, Southwest and Allegiant flights are not available through OTAs; the same goes for Ryanair in Europe. And, earlier this year United Airlines threatened to pull out of Expedia altogether, only recently signing a multi-year agreement to stay in. The airlines would rather not lose any margin to online travel agencies in an already low-margin industry and would rather maintain a direct relationship with the customer.

Are smaller OTAs safe to use?

Expedia and Priceline are the two largest players in the online booking space, but there are dozens of independent OTAs, such as CheapOAir, OneTravel, JustFly, and SmartFares. Confusingly, you might actually stumble on ads for these OTAs while using Expedia or Priceline sites. That’s because the larger OTAs earn revenue through advertising, sending passengers to smaller OTAs and charging those OTAs for the favor.

Buyer beware: some of these lesser-known OTAs are masters at hidden fees. For example, a flight search on JetBlue allows for free seat selection in many instances. If you perform the same search on FlightNetwork, an independent OTA, and select a seat, you will be charged an additional $25—despite the fact that JetBlue doesn’t charge a seat selection fee if you book directly.

What if you need to change your itinerary?

Itinerary changes are often a pain. If your plans change, it won’t matter whether you’ve booked directly with an airline or with an OTA—you’re going to pay fees for the privilege, if you can even change your ticket at all.

For example, CheapTickets.com, which is part of the Expedia Group, charges $25 to change or cancel a ticket if that change is requested after 24 hours of making the booking—it is free if you do so within 24 hours of booking. However, the fees go up from there. JustFly, an independent OTA, charges a $75 fee for changes to domestic flights in addition to airline change fees, plus the difference in fare, for tickets that can be changed. For an international trip, the fee rises to $200. That means to change an international flight with Delta (which charges a $100 change fee) booked through JustFly, you’ll be assessed $300 in fees, plus the difference in fare. At that rate, you may as well book a new flight. FlightNetwork indicates in its terms of service that changes may incur a change fee but doesn’t specify what those fees are. That hardly makes the few dollars you saved by booking with the OTA in the first place worth it.

What is an OTA price match policy?

To assure travelers that they are getting the lowest fare possible, many OTAs have a price match policy. The rules vary and so do the benefits.

For example, if you book with Orbitz and find a less expensive flight, car rental, or activity on any U.S.-based website within 24 hours of your booking, Orbitz will refund you the difference you paid. And it works: I have personally found a flight in the same class, on the same airline, for the same origin and destination cities, and requested Orbitz to refund the difference of around $35. Within a few weeks, I received a check in the mail. A similar program applies for CheapOAir, but there’s a catch—the price difference must be found on a major OTA such as Expedia or Travelocity.

Expedia has a particularly good price match policy, but you have to pay extra for it at the time of booking. Expedia offers the price match option as an add-on that costs between $5 and $30 when you book. With the price match applied, if the airfare on Expedia drops between 120 days of the flight and up to six hours before the flight, Expedia will automatically refund you the difference in fare. Unfortunately, fares generally do not drop substantially as the travel date approaches, so while this might give you peace of mind, it’s probably not worth the expense.

How do Google Flights and other travel metasearch engines work?

Frequent fliers are likely familiar with websites such as Google Flights, Kayak, Momondo, or Skyscanner. On these websites, passengers search on the site but are redirected to the service provider to complete the booking, such as an airline, rental car company, or hotel.

Metasearch started with a product called ITA Matrix, which is a tool for searching airfares online but not for actually booking online. ITA Matrix allows for multi-city searching, such as setting two different departure or arrival airports, and for offering a calendar view of fares for easier comparison. That company was acquired by Google in 2011, and savvy travelers swear by it to help find the least expensive fares online. Most consumers are more familiar with Google Flights, which has gained traction more recently not least because it has the benefit of being displayed first in search results on Google.

Metasearch engines receive distribution fees from the airlines for sending traffic to the supplier websites. There are no additional hidden fees for using a metasearch engine because you’re booking directly with the airline or hotel.

A major benefit of the metasearch engines is their price tracking tool, which lets users know whether the displayed fares are low, average, or high for the flight, allowing travelers to make a more informed decision on whether to book a flight or not . Google Flights and Kayak, for instance, both have price tracking tools.

Why not just book directly?

The airlines would definitely much rather you book directly with them. Over the past five years, they have gotten much better at marketing and selling their product directly to consumers online and through mobile sites and apps. But in the past, they weren’t so good at it. In fact, Delta, Northwest, United, American, and Continental got together to invest $145 million to launch Orbitz in 1999 to counter the threat from Expedia. Now Orbitz is owned by Expedia.

The airlines also try to encourage customers to book directly so that they can maintain a closer relationship with them. It allows carriers to connect bookings with loyalty programs and create special offers and discounts catered to individual passengers.

There is another benefit to booking directly. The U.S. Department of Transportation requires carriers to hold a reservation at the quoted fare for 24 hours without payment or allow a reservation to be cancelled within 24 hours without penalty, so long as the booking is made at least seven days before travel. The law applies, however, only to U.S. and foreign air carriers that have websites marketed to U.S. consumers. This means that, in theory, an online travel agency does not have to offer such a policy, although most OTAs do.

What are the options for booking on your mobile device?

Airlines and the major OTAs all have apps to help you book and manage your trip on your mobile device, but their functionality is lacking compared to these websites’ desktop editions. For example, Expedia’s app doesn’t allow you to view flights on a month-view calendar. Kayak has an app with more bells and whistles and a better user interface, including a month-view calendar with color-coded pricing. It also has a handy “augmented reality” function to help you see if your carry-on bag will fit in the overhead bin (a feature originally developed by KLM). Point your phone’s camera at the luggage, and it’ll give you the dimensions.

While apps are improving and gaining in popularity, you still might find it easier to locate the best deals on flights and hotels by using your desktop, where you can have multiple tabs open and have all the available search tools at your disposal. Apps are fine for booking directly with an airline once you know which flights you want to book.

If you’re determined to use your mobile device, you may want to look into Hopper. Hopper is a mobile-first flight booking tool that has a solid price prediction tool. You can research travel options and book directly on the app. Another benefit of Hopper: Of its team of 300 employees, nearly half are dedicated to customer support and are based in Canada versus some OTAs and airlines that outsource much of their customer service further afield.

The bottom line?

Like many travelers, I enjoy a flight deal as much as the next person, but I also don’t like any added hassle. I typically start my travel searches using the ITA Matrix or Google Flights to get a general sense of the fares. It helps to know what is a good deal and what is expensive for a particular route. I do my research, typically on a desktop computer. When I’m ready to book, I’ll book directly with the airline. I’ve found that customer service is better when booking directly with the service provider. But I’ve also saved money by using OTAs and have booked with them, too. Whichever way you choose to book, you can be safe in the knowledge that finding and purchasing travel online is a lot easier today than searching for a deal with a travel agent on a pay phone.

>> Next: How to Get the Best Last-Minute Travel Deals

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Airline Consolidator FAQ

Both terms are interchangeable, but an airline consolidator purchases a large volume of airline tickets at a discounted rate  from airlines and then resells them to travel agencies or directly to consumers. Flight consolidators can negotiate bulk deals with airlines, offering lower prices than those available through traditional booking channels.

The commission rates vary and depend on the agreements between the consolidator and the travel agency selling the tickets. This is where net fares and published fares come into play. With net fares, the travel agent can market and set their commission, whereas, with published fares, a set percentage is paid out.

Because airline consolidators negotiate discounted airfare rates with airlines, travel agents can markup the ticket prices, allowing the travel agents to make a profit while still offering prices lower than those available through traditional channels.

When clients seek airline tickets, travel agents and travel agencies utilize consolidator booking platforms to find cost-effective flight options. After confirming flight bookings and collecting payments, agents issue tickets and provide ongoing support. PS. Sky Bird Travel & Tours pays weekly ACH commission payments!

NDC , or New Distribution Capability , is a set of industry standards developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to modernize and standardize how airlines distribute their products and services to travel agents, travel management companies, and other distribution partners. Learn more about NDC here.

PNR means passenger name record . It’s 6 alpha-numeric characters that locate the reservation. There is one PNR for the GDS (see below) and one for each airline.

GDS (formerly CRS) means Global Distribution System . These are the computer systems where airlines load their inventory, fares, and schedules (Sabre, Amadeus, Apollo, Galileo, Travelport, and Worldspan are the GDS names you’ll hear).

Published fares are “published,” meaning anyone can buy a published airfare. Published fares can be bought from anywhere – online booking sites, travel agencies, and directly through the airlines.

Net fares  are airfares not available online through flight booking websites or the airlines’ websites. These airfares are only available for travel agents through a Global Distribution System (GDS) . and, more recently, New Distribution Capability (NDC) . Net fares are also known as private airfares , wholesale airfares , consolidator airfares, and unpublished airfares . All these terms can be used interchangeably.

Established in 1976, Sky Bird Travel is one of the top airline consolidators in the United States. In addition to partnering with 90+ airlines, Sky Bird pays weekly ACH commission payments on airfare, 25% commission on travel insurance, 15% on pre-paid hotels, and 8% commission on tours and car rentals. What are you waiting for? Register for the easy-to-use WINGS Booking Platform today! 

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NOTE: Please DO NOT provide this information directly to consumers!

MANAGE TRAVEL

The Manage Your Trip section of www.flyfrontier.com allows travelers or their Travel Agents to use the Frontier Record Locator and Customer Last Name to access their reservation in order to access a myriad of services including the ability to pre-purchase carry-on or checked baggage, specific seat assignments in advance, check-in online, print boarding passes, or change, cancel or modify existing reservations.

PLEASE NOTE: Fees and/or fare differences may be applicable. All pre-purchased baggage and seats are required to be purchased with a credit card. No other forms of payment will be accepted for baggage and/or seat purchases online.

HOST SYSTEM

Frontier Airlines (F9) is hosted in Navitaire (1N) New Skies system.

Frontier participates in the following Global Distribution Systems (GDS): Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport (including Apollo, Galileo and Worldspan). Please be familiar with the specific formats and requirements of each system for booking ticketless/Guaranteed Ticketing carriers.

Frontier utilizes teletype (TTY) connectivity for availability and will open and close inventory with AVS messaging. F9 flight schedules will be available for booking up to 330 days in advance of departure date in the GDS systems.  

Frontier Airlines offers two different products on the GDS: Standard and Bizfare. Booking classes R, C, I, N and J correspond to Bizfare. All other classes respond to Standard.

The standard product includes one personal item, which must be placed under the seat. A larger carry-on bag or checked bags can be added through Frontier website or mobile app, or at the check-in desk, subject to payment of the corresponding fee. Seats and other additional services can also be purchased through the website, the mobile app or at the airport. Details may be found on Frontier's optional service page . 

In addition to the inclusions on the Standard product, details on inclusions of Bizfare can be found here . 

Services included in the Bizfare must be added through Frontier website or mobile app. Additional services not included in the Bizfare, like checked bags, can be purchased also through the website and the mobile app or at the airport.

TICKETLESS REQUIREMENTS

Frontier Airlines is a completely ticketless airline. Some GDS's refer to this as Guaranteed Ticketing or EPAY. Frontier does not accept paper or electronic tickets as valid forms of payment for travel. Agents must provide valid payment within four (4) hours of making the booking for Standard or within twenty-four (24) hours of making the booking for Bizfare, otherwise the PNR code (or itinerary) will be deleted. Frontier does not reinstate deleted PNR's.

FARE INFORMATION

In the GDS environment, travel agency will always receive the lowest available fare for the Class of Service requested. Frontier does not offer discounted fares for children, military, or government.

In the event of fare mismatches, the GDS pricing should be considered informative and only the interactive price returned from Frontier at End Transaction is considered final and valid. If there is no valid fare for the itinerary booked in the GDS, then Frontier will return a NO response. If the flight is closed, sold-out or the specific class of service is closed, then Frontier will return a UC response regardless of the availability shown in the GDS.

GDS HOLD PERIOD

Bookings can be put on hold if the form of payments is not included at End Transaction. At End Transaction, Frontier will return the valid price of the itinerary requested and if acceptable, then agents are requested to submit the form of payment at that time. Once payment is received, the record will be updated and is considered balanced or zero due If payment is not received within the expected window, Frontier automatically will cancel the booking and will send a cancellation message to the GDS PNR.

PLEASE NOTE : Bookings made within one day of scheduled flight departure will require instant payment at the time of the booking creation. A valid form of payment is required to be in the PNR prior to ending the transaction. Bookings made within one day of scheduled flight departure will not be put on hold and will receive a "BOOKING CAN NOT BE PUT ON HOLD" response with a NO status.

Travel agency reservations made via the GDS must transmit a valid form of payment within four (4) hours of the booking creation for Standard or within twenty-four (24) hours of making the booking for Bizfare using a credit card. The reservation will automatically cancel in the Frontier system if payment is not received within this timeframe. When making a booking on Frontier all the segments of the PNR must be "F9", no other airlines can be in the record.

Frontier will process the payment information and return a record locator to the PNR. Once Frontier has confirmed the booking, the segments are validated and any further modifications to the PNR are subject to restrictions and/or fees

Travel agents must ensure bookings are paid and confirmed before sharing the PNR's with passengers. 

CREDIT CARDS

Frontier accepts the following credit cards for ticketless travel: American Express, Discover Card, Master Card, Visa, UATP

Credit cards are processed immediately when the PNR is ended. Frontier will honor a 24-hour refund (from the time of booking) to the original Form of Payment so long as the credit card has been processed. Within the 24-hour period, the travel agent can cancel all the segments in the PNR and the transaction will be placed on a queue to be worked within the Frontier Airlines system for a refund to the original credit card form of payment. All GDS bookings may be accessed for refund status (or any status') by going to flyfrontier.com and entering (one of) the passenger last name and PNR under the My Trips tab for access. or at:  https://www.flyfrontier.com/travel/my-trips/manage-trip/

PAYMENT FORMATS

Listed below are the actual SSR OTHS formats Frontier supports from each of the GDSs.

In each of these examples, the following key applies: F9=Navitaire New Skies Hosted Airline Code (Frontier) VI = the credit card type: AX, MC, VI, etc. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx= the credit card number mmyy= the month and year of the expiration date zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz= the credit card holder name

REQUIRED EPAY FORMAT FOR AMADEUS (1A) AGENTS

SSR EPAY F9 NN1-CC/Vlxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/EXP08 05-FIRST LAST NAME

REQUIRED GUARANTEED TICKETING FORMAT FOR SABRE (IS) AGENTS

3OTHS/VlxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxEXPmmyy 3OTHS/CH zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

REQUIRED GUARANTEED TICKETING FORMATS FOR TRAVELPORT

Apollo (1V) Agent Entry >@:3 SSR OTHS F9 NNX Vlxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/Dmmyy/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Galileo (1G) Agent Entry >V.AF9* Vlxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/Dmmyy/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Worldspan(1P) Agent Entry >3SSR OTHS HK1 CCVlxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/EXPmmyy/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

DECLINED CREDIT CARDS

When an agency submits a credit card for a new reservation that is declined, the system will hold the reservation for 15 minutes allowing time for a new form of payment to be sent. After 15 minutes the reservation will be cancelled. If a credit card is declined on the payment of an exchange or fee collection for a change, this will cause an out-of-balance situation for the record and the agency or the traveler must contact the Frontier Contact Center to provide a valid form of payment before travel. This situation is not subject to the 15-minute cancellation period.

TICKETING TIME LIMITS (TTL)

It is vital that the travel agent changes the TK element to TKOK in order to remove any ticketing time limits from GDS bookings once payments are submitted. If this is not done, the GDS system will send Frontier a cancellation message when the time limit is reached, and the Frontier system will automatically process the XX and cancel the reservation.

The travel agent must mark the booking ticketed which removes the TTL - on ticketless PNRs. When a ticketless airline confirms the form of payment and validates the booking by returning the HK, the TKXL element is not automatically updated. When using TKXL in a ticketless PNR you must change the TK element status to TKOK once confirmation is received.

WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT UPDATE THE TKXL ELEMENT, THE PNR ITINERARY BASES THE DATE ON THE TK ELEMENT AND THE TICKET IS THEN AUTOMATICALLY CANCELLED BY THE GDS.

INVOICE OR REFERENCE NUMBERS

Frontier will provide the agency with an invoice or Reference number for agency internal processing purposes. Invoice or Reference numbers sent from Frontier to assist agencies with mid/back office processes are not maintained by Frontier and have no association to the value of the ticketless transaction. Frontier cannot retrieve or reference any of the invoice or Reference numbers sent after End Transaction.

Frontier's Invoice or Reference numbers will begin with "422" but have no relationship to any "ticket number" and cannot be retrieved by Frontier's Revenue Accounting System.

The following is an example of a message with the Reference or Invoice number returned to the GDS Record: OSI 1S TKNO 4220074059220

OSI 1S THIS NBR APPLIES TO TICKETLESS ONL

OSI 1S DISREGARD TKNO/AMT DEBITED IF YOU ISSUED PAPER OR ETKT (please disregard this last line in the OSI response. We are working to have it removed.)

Travel agents may request a full refund for a GDS booking within 24 hours from the booking creation (except for tickets purchased for travel within 7 days/168 hours of purchase), by canceling all segments within the PNR. The transaction will be placed on a queue to be worked within the Frontier Airlines system for a refund to the original credit card form of payment. Beyond 24 hours from the booking creation, any amounts due back to the customer (including tickets purchased within 24 hours, but for travel within 7 days) will be placed on credit shells that are valid for 90 days.

A non-refundable ticket will be refunded if the customer or traveling companion becomes deceased or military orders prevent taking a planned flight. S upporting documents and/or paperwork will need to accompany the refund request. Please contact the Contact Center for additional information .

CHANGES, EXCHANGES OR MODIFICATIONS

For any GDS bookings, travel agents can make changes or modifications within 24 hours of the original booking being made without incurring fees or charges, except for a fare difference, as applicable. Within 24 hours of flight departure. travel agents MUST contact the Contact Center directly for any change requests. Outside of 24 hours, travel agents can make changes and/or modifications via their GDS or at flyfrontier.com

A new SSR OTHS or SSR EPAY payment message may be required each time a new segment is added, changed or modified on an existing reservation via the GDS. Customers must pay the change fee plus any fare difference if applicable.

Any PNR's can have segments exchanged or canceled within the GDS . ,  However,  change fees and any additional fare required must be sent with the form of payment within 4 hours of the booking or the segments will automatically cancel.  

Any remaining balance of an unused segment is forfeited. Bookings made through the GDS channel can be paid for only with a credit card, not a Credit Shell. Credit Shells can only be used directly with Frontier.

NAME CHANGES

Once the ticketless transaction has been paid, name changes or transfers cannot be completed by the travel agency. However, all Frontier issued tickets regardless of issue date are able to have name changes completed through Frontier's My Trip at flyfrontier.com or through the Frontier Contact Center. These requests will be subject to a name change fee plus any applicable fare difference. The name change fee is collected outside the exchange so two separate charges will show the traveler's billing statement. Residual value from the exchange does not apply toward the same change fee.

CHANGE/CANCEL FEE POLICY

All Frontier Airlines tickets, regardless of date of ticket purchase, might be charged a change/cancel fee. More information can be found here .

BizFare tickets include flexibility with no change or cancellation fees (fare and options price difference may apply ).  

INFANT TICKETLESS TRANSACTION

Infant ticketless transactions are required for all international flights. The infant fee, if applicable, will be assessed when the SSR INFT is sent by the travel agent, if on the initial booking request, it will be included in the total cost of the booking. If the infant SSR is added after the adult passenger is paid, then the INFT SSR fee can be paid at that time or at time of check-in.

For domestic U.S flights, lap infants under the age of 2 do not require separate ticketless transactions unless they are occupying their own seat.

PASSENGER CONTACT INFORMATION

Travel agents must actively ask customers whether they wish to have their contact details provided to Frontier for the purpose of contacting them in cases of operational disruptions and advise passengers that they may not receive notifications from Frontier related to schedule changes, flight cancellations or irregular operations if they refuse to provide such information.

Contact details shall be entered in the booking using standard formats: OSI CTCE or SSR CTCE to provide email address, and SSR CTCM to provide mobile phone number.

SCHEDULE CHANGES

Upon execution of a schedule change by Frontier, a message will be generated to the booking agency for action. Travel agents must action the message to synchronize the GDS PNR with the Frontier reservation. Once updated, the new schedule information should be passed on to the customer by the travel agency, ensuring travelers have the most up-to-date travel information.

If Frontier has a schedule change, customers can change the impacted flight to a new flight that is one day prior, one day later or to another flight that day at  https://travel.flyfrontier.com / or by contacting Frontier Contact Center. Any increase in fare and the change fee will be waived. If a customer should choose to cancel their flight as a result of a schedule change, the cancellation fee will be waived, and the funds will be placed on a Credit Shell for future use. If a customer should choose to cancel their flight as a result of a schedule change, the cancellation fee will be also waived, and the funds will be placed on a Credit Shell for future use. Actual refunds to the original form of payment will only be given upon customer request after evaluation of the options available by a Frontier representative.

BOOKING CONDITIONS

Should your agency use more than one GDS, you may not duplicate segments by moving segments between GDSs. Frontier will not be held liable for duplicate segment fees incurred by the movement of segments between GDS. Frontier Contact Center will not assist an agency attempting to claim a PNR owned by another GDS. Any duplicate segment fees will be billed back to the agency on a debit memo . You may not create active or passive duplicate bookings. Any combination of bookings for a passenger(s) which realistically or legally cannot be flown ( i.e - flights out of sequence, two flights at overlapping times, flights not adhering to legal connection times, etc.) will be considered a duplicate booking.  

All GDS bookings must either be completed as a ticketless transaction per tariff rules or cancelled in the GDS immediately when they are no longer required .  

PASSIVE AND OPEN SEGMENTS

Passive and Open segments are not permitted.

TICKETING AND BAGGAGE AGREEMENTS

Frontier does not currently have ticketing and baggage agreements with any other carriers.

MAXIMUM SEGMENTS

The maximum number of segments permitted will be 16 coupons in a Frontier ticketless transaction.

BOOKING POLICIES

Travel agents are not allowed to hold inventory for potential future sales. Bookings may not be held for more than 4 hours for Standard or twenty-four (24) hours for Bizfare before payment is required, the booking will automatically cancel. The full name and title of each passenger must be entered at the time of booking. Name changes are permitted for a fee if the customer contacts Frontier Contact Center. Name corrections are only permitted if they are misspelled or to reflect legal documents.

Fictitious or speculative bookings, including blocking or holding a reservation due to expected demand are not permitted under any circumstances.

Segment status changes because of schedule changes, irregular operations, flight firming, flight cancellations or other circumstances will be queued to the GDS and must be actioned at least 24 hours prior to flight departure. This includes cancelling segments with a status code of UN, NO, HX, WK, WL, or WN. Travel agents must also action or cancel segments with status codes UC, US, or DS.

Travel agents may not use the Frontier airline designator "F9" with fictitious flight numbers to store flight information for a carrier not listed in the GDS.

CUSTOMER RELATIONS

Click here  to check the different options to contact to Frontier Customer Relations department and get answers to your questions. 

You can also redirect customers to the Frontier website or to our chat .

GROUP BOOKINGS

Click here to view Group Travel details.

RESERVATIONS QUESTIONS

Most General Inquiry Information is available at www.flyfrontier.com

Click here to view Bag Options.

Click to view the Traveling with Pets policy Click here to view the Trained Service Animals policy Click here to view the Emotional Support Animal policy

Click here to view Seating Options

RESIDUAL VALUE IN EXCHANGE

Click to view the Itinerary Changes policy

UNACCOMPANIED MINORS

Click here to view the Unaccompanied Minor Travel

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The desire to get a good deal unites practically all travelers. Whether you're looking for a cheap getaway or a luxury vacation, no one wants to spend more than necessary. When it comes to booking flights, travelers may naturally head to an airline's website. However, that's not always the best site to book flights.

Whether it's taking advantage of credit card perks, earning bonus miles or saving money, the best flight booking site can vary depending on your situation and willingness to get creative. Let's take a look at six of the best sites to book flights and when each is the best option.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

The best flight booking sites

1. google flights.

For ease, speed and features, Google Flights is arguably the best website for flight searches. Search results appear almost instantly. Filters let you narrow down to nonstop options, select a subset of airlines, limit by price or factor in the price of a bag. Similarly, you can use Google Flights filters to avoid certain airlines, multi-stop itineraries, long layovers, early flights or pretty much whatever you might want to avoid.

You can easily check flexible dates, and if you're flexible on where you go you can use the Explore map to see prices for a variety of destinations for certain dates, a certain month or anytime in the next six months.

Google Flights partners with hundreds of airlines and online travel agencies (OTAs) to pull current flight prices. That way you don't have to search each of these sites to be able to see the options. Once you select your preferred trip, Google Flights links you to the top booking options for actually booking your flight — including the airline itself and the best OTA booking options.

The downsides of Google Flights are few. One downside is that Google Flights doesn't always show the cheapest prices — particularly for international flights. That means it's worth double-checking prices on another site before booking through Google Flights.

Like Google Flights, Kayak searches hundreds of other websites and flight booking platforms to find the best deal. Kayak generally doesn't let you book flights directly. However, one benefit of Kayak is the streamlined process. Rather than having to click through several pages to confirm your selection, clicking "view deal" on the results page can take you right to the cheapest booking option.

Also, some travelers may find Kayak's flexible date search a bit easier to work with as you can see results from several days in the search results — eliminating the need to check each day's results separately.

But perhaps the most important reason to use Kayak instead of Google Flights is that it can catch better deals. For example, we found a $550 round-trip flight from Los Angeles to Barcelona using Google Flights. Kayak found a way to lower that price to just $472 round-trip — at least once you scroll past an advertisement.

Note that Kayak manages other flight search sites — including Momondo and Cheapflights — so the results may be very similar between these sister sites.

» Learn more: Is Kayak legit?

So far, we've focused on ease in flight searching, and that's going to be enough for many travelers. However, now let's add in some additional elements to consider when choosing the best flight booking site: earning rewards and saving by booking packages. Expedia excels at both of these.

Through the new One Key rewards program , travelers can earn 0.2% in OneKeyCash from flight bookings made through Expedia. That's not much, but it can stack on top of the awards you earn from the airline and those that you earn on your credit card purchase.

Even better, you'll earn credits toward One Key elite status by booking your flight through Expedia. As you climb up the tiers, you'll unlock up to 20% savings on hotels, get hotel upgrades, priority support and even price drop protection.

Plus, Expedia boasts that travelers can "save up to 30%" when bundling a hotel with a flight booking — although actual discounts are likely to vary.

» Learn more: The pros and cons of Expedia

4. Capital One Travel

For many Capital One cardholders, Capital One Travel might just be the best flight booking site. Part of this is to take advantage of cardholder benefits.

For example, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card holders earn 5x Capital One miles when booking flights through the Capital One Travel portal. Plus, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card holders get up to $300 off travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal each cardholder year.

» Learn more: How to maximize the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Also, Capital One Travel can help you truly get the best price for your flight. Capital One partnered with travel data company Hopper to show suggestions about when it's the best time to book.

Capital One backs up these recommendations with money. If you book a flight through Capital One Travel when Hopper recommends doing so, you'll get up to a $50 credit toward future travel if the price drops within the next 10 days.

» Learn more: How the Capital One Travel portal works

Would you be willing to book a trip as two separate tickets in order to save money? That's the idea behind Kiwi. Instead of simply searching flights from your home airport to your destination, Kiwi checks all potential options to get between A and B. That could mean taking a bus or train from your home city to another to catch a flight to your destination. Or, Kiwi might pair a low-cost domestic flight with a cheap international flight from another city to lower your total cost.

Protect your upfront travel expenses by booking with a card that has travel insurance or by purchasing a separate policy .

For example, when we priced out a round-trip flight from Phoenix to Tokyo, the cheapest option when booked as one ticket cost $1,353 round-trip — and that's with an overnight stay in Vancouver.

Pricing out the same itinerary and dates through Kiwi drops the price to just $789 round-trip. The secret? Booking this as two round-trip flights: One from Phoenix to Los Angeles on Frontier and a separate round-trip from Los Angeles to Tokyo on Zipair.

Keep in mind that there are risks with booking separate tickets to get where you want to go. If a delay or cancellation causes you to miss your connection, the second airline/bus/train company isn't obligated to honor your ticket and rebook you on the next option. So make sure to factor in all of the risks of booking travel like this.

» Learn more: When to use Kiwi for your next flight booking

6. BookWithMatrix

ITA Matrix is a very powerful and ultra-customizable search platform for finding exactly the flight itinerary you want — whether that's booking a longer layover, avoiding certain aircraft types or booking nerdy trips such as the Alaska Milk Run .

The catch: Travelers can't actually book flights through ITA Matrix. And, unlike Google Flights, ITA Matrix doesn't even link to the best flight booking site for that itinerary. Instead, travelers are left to attempt to re-create the same itinerary through another flight booking website — which can be hard in the case of certain complex itineraries.

Enter BookWithMatrix. Travelers can copy-paste their perfect itinerary from ITA Matrix into BookWithMatrix to get bookable links through the airline or select OTAs.

Alternatively, travelers have the option to install the PowerTools extension in Google Chrome .

This extension adds booking links right on the ITA Matrix itinerary page, avoiding the need to browse to another page.

Popular cards for booking flights

Depending on the airline and credit card issuer you choose, you may earn anywhere from 1 to 3 miles per dollar spent on the card that you can put towards booking flights.

You usually earn more when you use the card to purchase travel directly from the airline. You could also earn more by making purchases in expense categories that pay bonus miles, like restaurants or gas stations (these vary from issuer to issuer).

on Chase's website

on American Express' website

$0 intro for the first year, then $95 .

$0 intro for the first year, then $150 .

• 2 miles per $1 on United purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants and hotels (when booked directly with hotel).

• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.

• 2 points per $1 on Southwest purchases.

• 2 points per $1 on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, local transit and commuting (including rideshare), and on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming.

• 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 on purchases made directly with Delta and at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.).

• 1 mile per $1 on all other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

• 6 points per $1 with JetBlue.

• 2 points per $1 at restaurants and grocery stores.

• 1 point per $1 on other purchases.

• 1 Mosaic tile per $1,000 spent.

When you open a new airline credit card account, you may be eligible for a big welcome bonus after meeting a minimum purchase requirement. After that, you'll continue to earn miles for purchases you would have made anyway.

If you seek more flexibility in redeeming miles for award flights, consider applying for a more general travel credit card instead. A more general travel credit card differs from an airline card in that you can book flights with multiple carriers, rather than reaping the benefits of staying loyal to a single brand.

The more high-end (or 'premium' ) the travel credit card, the more benefits you can enjoy, including airport lounge access or automatic elite status in certain programs. That said, a brand-specific airline card can net you benefits like waived baggage fees, which can have meaningful dollar value.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards

Final thoughts on the best flight booking site

There's not a one-size-fits-all best website for booking flights. Instead, the best flight booking site for you is going to depend on how simple you want the process to be, whether you're willing to get creative with your booking, and even which credit cards you have.

For most travelers, the simplicity of Google Flights is going to make it the best one-stop shop for searching and booking flights. However, it's worth considering other options if you're flying internationally, want to book a flight-and-hotel package or have a Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card .

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

75,000 Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1.5%-5% Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Up to $300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

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Information, services and benefits: As a travel agency, you can access product news, background information and attractive offers via eXperts, our service and information portal. You can also conveniently book and even manage group travel using our online tool, Book-a-Group.

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American Airlines Backtracks, Will Allow Travel Agency Customers to Keep Earning Miles

Dennis Schaal , Skift

May 29th, 2024 at 3:23 PM EDT

American Airlines tried to drag an entrenched industry toward the airline's vision of a more productive distribution future. But the financial hit stung.

Dennis Schaal

Online and offline travel agencies had faced a July 11 deadline: That’s when flyers buying American Airlines tickets on certain booking sites would have no longer been able to earn AAdvantage Miles.

But American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said Wednesday that the airline has dropped the idea. It was part of an overall retreat in American’s direct-booking strategy as it faces softness in close-in bookings and a weaker financial outlook.

“Next month, we were going to differentiate who earned AAdvantage Miles and who didn’t, based on where they booked. That’s off,” Isom told investors and analysts at a Bernstein conference. “We’re not doing that because it would create confusion and disruption for our end customer, and we’re going to make sure that we take care. We’re listening to feedback.”

The plan had been that the airline would designate “preferred agencies” — who were required to book at least 30% of their flights through American’s New Distribution Capability — and customers of these online and offline travel agencies would have been able to continue to earn AAdvantage miles when buying tickets on these third-party sites.

Travel agencies that didn’t get the airline’s stamp of approval faced the prospect of losing lots of customers who would have had to book American flights on AA.com or a preferred agency.

The airline initially said it would designate preferred agencies by May 1, and later moved that deadline to July 11.

Travel Agency Reaction

Many agencies had no clue if they were going to make the cut.

Zane Kerby, president and CEO of the American Society of Travel Advisors, had fought the airline’s distribution policies, and applauded the airline’s reversal.

“I’m grateful for American Airlines’ renewed recognition of the essential role that travel advisors play in facilitating air travel for our shared customers,” Kerby said. “I want to extend my thanks to American Airlines CEO Robert Isom for acknowledging its previous approach was flawed. Reversing the decision to withhold AAdvantage points and miles for agency bookings is a testament to the firm position that travel agencies hold in the airline distribution channel.”

Kerby said he welcomed the opportunity to work with American Airlines on a “responsible implementation of its NDC program.”

When the news came, ASTA was coincidentally conducting it annual national conference in Dallas, in the airline’s Fort Worth headquarters back yard.

American hasn’t definitively given up on direct distribution, however.

“We’re learning and adapting,” Isom said. “We know that NDC, modern retailing provides a better experience for the end customer. And we know that we will get there over time, but we have to go about it differently. We’re going to make it easier, we’re going to execute better and we’re going to do a lot more to try to bring people along with us.”

Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch

Tags: aadvantage , american airlines , asta , business travel , distribution , loyalty , ndc , new distribution capability , online travel newsletter , per diem

Photo credit: The tail of an American Airlines aircraft. Airbus / Airbus

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Change & cancel.

Enjoy more peace of mind with no change fees when you purchase a Main Cabin or above ticket on flights originating from the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean . For tickets where travel begins outside of these regions, change and cancel fees may apply depending on your origin location and type of ticket.

When changing your ticket, sometimes your new flight may cost more than your original flight. If this happens, you will need to pay the difference in price. In cases where the price of your new flight is less than the original price or if you choose to cancel your flight before departure, you will receive an eCredit for the difference between the price of your original ticket and the price of your new ticket.

As a reminder, Basic Economy tickets cannot be changed in most cases. You may cancel before departure for a cancellation charge which is deducted from the value of your ticket and the remaining value will be issued as an eCredit to use toward a future Delta ticket.

Visit My Trips or the Fly Delta app to make your changes.

eCredits & Refunds

In keeping with our longstanding policy, we will first attempt to rebook you on a new flight if your current flight is canceled, significantly delayed (> 120 minutes) or impacted by a qualifying significant schedule change.

If we cannot find an alternate flight for you and we cancel your ticket, or you choose to cancel the new flight you have been rebooked on, you have the following options:

• Receive an eCredit for the value of the ticket, seat upgrade or Preferred Seat
• Adjust your itinerary in My Trips ; or
• Request a refund to your original form of payment once your ticket is canceled

Visit delta.com/redeem where you’ll be able to verify your eCredit value, expiration date and redeem online for future travel.

Review our how-to page for tips on managing eCredits.

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If you are a U.S. citizen who has reviewed all required travel documents and determined you need to receive or renew your passport ahead of international travel, please visit the U.S. Department of State’s travel website to fill out the necessary forms. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time as passport processing often takes several months and could take longer during peak travel periods. Processing is often 10 weeks for routine requests and 6 weeks for expedited service. 

In addition to needing a passport for international travel, some countries have also imposed temporary health-related entry requirements. To find out more about your destination's health requirements, please use our interactive map.

We want you to arrive prepared, so please visit the Delta Discover Map to learn about potential travel requirements for a trip you are planning or have booked. The information is up-to-date and personalized based on your specific circumstances.  Entry and exit requirements are imposed by governments and may change before departure, so please be sure to check back close to your intended travel dates for the latest requirements.

Also, if you book an international flight, your trip may be eligible for  Delta FlyReady SM which makes managing travel requirements faster and easier by guiding you through the process.

All travelers must provide a valid passport, proper visa documentation (if required) and contact tracing information when entering or connecting through the U.S .

Review full requirements and exceptions . 

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If you need to change or cancel your hotel reservation, you can use your confirmation number to Find Your Booking and manage your reservation or call 1-866-202-1813.

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To make changes to your car rental reservation, you can use your confirmation number to Find Your Booking and manage your reservation or call the rental car company directly.

Contact Delta

In general, you can use My Trips as the quickest way to resolve most ticket changes and issues. However, the following scenarios cannot currently be changed via My Trips and you will have to call for assistance:  

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• Tickets that are sold or ticketed by another airline – generally, this means your flight number will start with something other than "DL", except for SkyMiles Award Travel operated by a Delta airline partner

If you are ready to book your new trip now, it’s easy to locate and redeem your  eCredit online.   If you don’t see your eCredit or have an issue booking on delta.com, please have your old ticket number ready when you call our  Reservations team . Your ticket number is a 13-digit number beginning with 006. You can locate the ticket number on your emailed flight purchase receipt.

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What to do if your flight is canceled.

Follow these steps in the event your flight is canceled.

Flight Canceled or Delayed? What to Do

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Key Takeaways

• Airlines will soon be required to automatically refund travelers for canceled flights.
• You will be eligible for a refund if your domestic flight is delayed by more than three hours, or if your international flight delay exceeds six hours.
• Using the airline's app or calling an international airline number is often the quickest way to rebook a flight.
• The DOT Cancellation and Delay Dashboard shows what each major domestic airline will or will not provide in the event of a cancellation or delay currently.

In April 2024, the Department of Transportation announced a new series of protections for air travelers , including automatic refunds for canceled flights and, in some cases, flight delays. Airlines in the U.S. have six months until they will be expected to start implementing the new rule.

If your flight has been canceled or delayed, read on for step-by-step instructions on how to rearrange your travel plans and whether or not you are eligible for a refund at this time.

What to do if your flight is canceled

1. get on the airline's app – or make an international call.

First, pull up the airline's app on your phone. Most airline apps allow you to easily rebook your flight for free, provided you can supply your six-character reservation code. Getting in line to speak with an agent and calling the airline while you wait is also a good idea (albeit slower than using an app), and social media messaging, texting or WhatsApp may prove helpful. "During times of mass travel disruption, you should try all different avenues for getting help," says Nick Ewen, director of content at The Points Guy.

Ewen also recommends a lesser-known tactic: calling the airline's international numbers. Airlines have offices in Canada, Mexico, the U.K. and more. "While it can be costly, you can often get through to an agent more quickly," Ewen says.

Note that, depending on why your flight was canceled, finding seats on a new flight may alter your travel plans considerably.

2. Book a hotel

Next, determine if you need overnight accommodations. "If you were originally booked on the last flight of the night and there are no other options, grab a hotel room near the airport before they're all taken," Ewen advises.

3. Ask for a refund

If the airline cancels your flight and you're forced to change your travel plans, you are entitled to a cash refund per federal law . Unfortunately, getting a refund can be a lengthy and frustrating process. Most airlines will instead offer a credit for future travel, but before you accept, note that travel credits can come with restrictions, such as blackout dates

Soon, airlines will be expected to issue refunds within seven business days — either in cash or on the credit card you used to book your flight — if you turn down a travel credit.

4. Reference the DOT Cancellation and Delay Dashboard

While you're entitled to a full refund, other flight cancellation policies may vary by airline. Go to the DOT's Cancellation and Delay Dashboard to see what each major airline will and will not offer in the event of a controllable cancellation.

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What to do if your flight is delayed

Currently, airlines are not legally obligated to give you a refund for a flight delay unless the DOT determines the delay to be "significant," a term that's defined on a case-by-case basis.

The DOT's new rule defines "significant changes" for the first time, and when it goes into effect later this year, you will be eligible for a refund in the following scenarios:

• Departure or arrival times for domestic flights exceed three hours
• Departure or arrival times for international flights exceed six hours
• There's an increase in the number of connections
• Departures or arrivals take place at a different airport than the one(s) you booked
• You're downgraded to a lower flight class than the one you booked
• You have a disability and your connections are at different airports and/or on different flights that are less accessible

Research other flights

Investigate what other flights on that airline are headed to your destination and ask an agent if they can get you on one of them (without charging change fees). Also be sure to look into what's available on other airlines: If your original airline doesn't have any flights available on your departure date, an agent may be able to book you on a flight with a different carrier at no additional cost to you. Note, however, that airlines are not legally required to do this.

Inquire about other compensation

If you've been stranded at the airport for several hours, check in with an agent and reference the Commitments for Controllable Delays section on the DOT's Cancellation and Delay Dashboard – regardless of whether you're able to get on another flight. Some airlines may provide amenities such as vouchers for meals or overnight accommodations.

Frequently Asked Questions

"The main causes for flight disruptions are bad weather, understaffed air traffic control, and factors within the airline’s control,"  says Katy Nastro, a spokesperson at Going.com, formerly Scott's Cheap Flights. She explains the following:

• Weather:  This is outside of the airline's control and is the single biggest reason for why we see flight disruptions. We saw this play out over the winter holidays in 2022, and even to some extent during the 2023 holiday season. Even if the weather is accurately predicted, it cannot be controlled, which means at times flight disruptions are unavoidable.
• Understaffed air traffic control:  The U.S. air travel industry has made strides in pilot hiring year over year, but when it comes to air traffic control, we are still down roughly 1,000 fewer air traffic controllers from a decade ago. New York metro area airports specifically have felt the brunt of this deficit, so much so that airlines were permitted to reduce schedules without penalty from the summer until the end of Q4 in 2023. At its lowest, the decrease in flights in the New York metro area resulted in about 11% fewer flights per day. With less trained staff, current air traffic controllers are stretched to the limit, and schedule reductions only temporarily solve this problem. Even with aggressive hiring efforts, training takes time and will not be a quick fix.

It's almost impossible to avoid canceled or delayed flights these days. But there are a few things you can do when booking flights to lessen your chances for travel disruptions.

Keep tabs on your aircraft: On your departure date, check your flight information before heading to the airport. You can keep a watchful eye on the flight's status – including the aircraft scheduled to operate your flight – using the airline's app or a third-party app such as FlightAware Flight Tracker (which also offers a website ), FlightRadar24 or TripIt Pro.

"As an example, if you're flying from Orlando to New York, and your plane is flying in from Chicago, the initial flight from Chicago to Orlando might be delayed (or canceled) before yours is," Ewen explains. "Airlines will try to find replacement aircraft in that case, but if you can identify a potential cancellation before it officially happens, you may be able to get rebooked ahead of the other 100-plus passengers on your flight."

Consider an alternate airport: When booking your flight, you may consider flying out of a different airport than the one you typically depart from. For example, a small regional airport with limited routes may mean less travel delays and hassle overall – or it may be worth driving further to another international airport for a nonstop flight to your destination rather than opting for a connecting flight close to home.

Fly in the morning: While flight disruptions are unpredictable, historically fewer cancellations and delays occur in the morning.

Avoid weekend travel: Fly on off-peak days like Tuesday or Wednesday. You'll often find cheaper flights on these days, too.

Opt for longer layovers: If you need to take more than one flight to reach your destination, book a flight with a longer layover to provide enough time to make your connecting flight. Keep in mind that at some airports you may need to go through security or customs for your connection. For longer journeys, you can reduce the risk of missing connecting flights by planning a city stopover. For example, Icelandair offers Iceland stopovers for no additional airfare.

Consider a credit card with travel protections: You don't need to be a frequent traveler to take advantage of credit card travel protections and perks. Here are a couple options to consider:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred :  This travel credit card ($95 annually) provides coverage for delays and cancellations when used to book flights. It also provides other travel protections such as delayed baggage coverage. "Even someone who travels just once or twice a year can still get phenomenal value from this card," Ewen says.
• American Express Platinum Card :  This card ($695 annually) offers travel insurance that reimburses some nonrefundable expenses like hotel accommodations, meals and other essentials as long as the trip was purchased using the card.

When choosing a travel credit card, you should also pay attention to other benefits. Even the most basic airline credit cards can offer travel perks like discounts on in-flight purchases and waived baggage fees, while premium travel credit cards (which require a higher annual fee) can include access to an airport lounge with food, drinks and Wi-Fi. Some also provide a concierge service to rebook flights or built-in trip insurance to cover unforeseen expenses.

Purchase travel insurance: If your credit card doesn't include travel protections, consider purchasing insurance with flight coverages – even a cheap travel policy can help protect your investment. Covered reasons include a travel carrier delay and loss or theft of travel documents, among other scenarios. If you're interested in purchasing a policy, you can browse the best travel insurance companies here .

Talk to a travel advisor: "Booking directly with your travel advisor provides more leverage and support if something goes wrong," explains Jessica Parker, founder of Trip Whisperer . "We can advocate for a better outcome should there be cancellations or hiccups in the itinerary."

Charlotte French, owner of Cavatica Luxury Travel , agrees, sharing this recent example: "My clients were booked on a nonstop United Flight from Tokyo (HND) to EWR (Newark) in business class, when it was canceled (due to technical issues). The clients were waiting in line to find other options for their return flight home; however, these were very limited. In parallel, I was able to speak to the United Airlines corporate desk (as a travel advisor) and was able to secure them in business class on a flight out of Tokyo the same day."

Avoid checking luggage: Travelers who only travel with a carry-on bag and/or personal item (such as a backpack or purse) that meet carry-on size restrictions will have the most flexibility in rebooking – and will also avoid the chance of lost luggage, another common issue. Some carriers will try to move checked luggage to a later flight for you and will make every effort to keep you and your belongings together. However, when airlines don't have interline agreements with other carriers, you'll have to allow enough time to retrieve and recheck your own luggage.

The number of canceled flights recently fell to its lowest rate in at least a decade — a welcome change for air travelers, especially following COVID-19-era travel disruptions.

Still, flight cancellations will always be inevitable, especially during the busy summer travel season. Summer 2024 is shaping up to be especially busy. "It was the busiest March on record for air travel according to the TSA," explains Nastro. "It also had the tenth busiest day on record, which is pretty significant since it is not a 'peak period' and is generally considered off-season in the Northern Hemisphere. If this trend continues, we are likely in for the busiest summer on record when it comes to air travel."

You might also be interested in:

• The Top Luggage Trackers
• Is a Travel Agent Worth It? The Pros and Cons
• Can I Use My Own Airplane Seatbelt Extender?
• How to Get Airport Wheelchair Assistance
• The Top Cheap Weekend Getaways

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Information for U.S. Citizens in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza

The Department reminds U.S. citizens of the continued need for caution and increased personal security awareness as security incidents often take place without warning. The security environment remains complex and can change quickly depending on the political situation and recent events. Please see the latest Israel Security Alert .

U.S. citizens should heed the  Travel Advisory  for Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. The U.S. Embassy continues to closely monitor the dynamic security situation in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. There are active military operations and active rocket and mortar fire in Gaza and the Gaza periphery.  Terrorist groups, lone-actor terrorists and other violent extremists continue plotting possible attacks in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Terrorists and violent extremists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities. Violence can occur in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza without warning. If you require emergency assistance while in Israel, the West Bank or Gaza, contact the  U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem  by email ( [email protected] for those in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza or [email protected] for those in Israel outside of Jerusaleml).

Individuals seeking to depart Gaza: As of May 7, the Israel Defense Forces control the Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing. Since that day, the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza has remained closed. As soon as the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem receives information regarding new exit procedures from Gaza to Egypt, including when crossings resume, we will communicate this to the public immediately.

This remains a complex situation with serious implications for the safety and security of U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens in Gaza in need of assistance should contact [email protected] . U.S. citizens in Gaza are reminded that the U.S. government is unable to provide routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Gaza as U.S. government employees are prohibited from traveling there.

The U.S. government does not control who is permitted to depart Gaza or enter Egypt. Individuals must assess their own safety and risks in attempting to cross the border. Individuals permitted to enter Egypt will likely receive a 72-hour Egyptian visa; all those who cross should have a plan for onward travel from Egypt in this timeframe. U.S. citizens, LPRs and their immediate family members who successfully enter Egypt and require further consular assistance should contact the  U.S. Embassy in Cairo  via the  U.S. Citizens Services Navigator .  Individuals may apply for a U.S. visa at any U.S. Embassy or Consulate; U.S. immigration laws and regulations will apply.

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Delta to resume Tel Aviv service from New York-JFK on Friday

Nonstop daily service resumes June 7 after extensive security risk assessment, as the airline continues to closely monitor the situation in Israel.

Delta will resume daily nonstop service to Tel Aviv (TLV) from New York-JFK this summer, operating the route on an Airbus A330-900neo that will provide customers with nearly 2,000 weekly seats from New York to Israel.

The decision to resume the route on June 7, 2024, which was temporarily suspended in October 2023, follows an extensive security risk assessment by the airline. Delta continues to closely monitor the situation in Israel in conjunction with government and private-sector partners.

In recent months, Delta has strengthened its presence in Israel through a codeshare arrangement with EL AL Israel Airlines. Delta customers have access to EL AL’s direct services to Tel Aviv from major U.S. cities like New York-JFK, New York-Newark, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. With the reinstatement of Delta’s New York-JFK service this summer, customers have additional travel choices connecting North America and Israel.

For booking and more information, visit delta.com .

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