With so many airlines out there, it’s hard to be loyal to one. When you use a 3rd-party search engine, you can find the cheapest flight out of a variety of airlines with one click. However, Google Flights also allows you to conduct the same search with one click. Then, with just one more click, it takes you directly to the airline for booking. Still, you might wonder whether or not it’s better to book directly with an airline or not.
You should book directly with an airline if you value convenience, comfort, and lasting benefits. On the other hand, you can save money on a single trip by using 3rd-party travel services, though it is riskier if you may have to change anything about your reservations.
If your highest priority is spending as little as possible on a single trip, go ahead and book through Kayak or another third party site. However, if you travel frequently, find the right airline for you, and join their loyalty program. Let’s learn a bit more about which flight is best to book where.
When to Book With an Airline Vs a Third Party Site
The answer really depends on a couple of variables. First, how often do you travel? The more often you travel, the more advantageous it is to book directly with an airline. However, if you rarely travel, and you just want to plan the cheapest trip possible for some rare event, a 3rd-party travel site is probably going to help you make the most affordable reservations.
A 3rd-party is always riskier when it comes to flexibility. So, another question to ask yourself is how much risk are you willing to take to save a little money? It will be more difficult for you to change anything about your reservation if you book through a 3rd-party.
You’ll want to be fairly certain your plans are not likely to change if you’re going to take that risk to save for a trip. Beyond those basic distinctions, there are several other differences to parse out before you make your final booking decisions.
3 Advantages When You Book Directly with an Airline
Booking directly with an airline gives you several advantages. Mainly, it’s less risky. Changing a reservation almost always comes with a cost, but 3rd-party services are much more likely to just tell you they can’t help you. Then, if you beg enough, they’ll send you down a very unpleasant channel of bad communication until you’re desperate for any little thing they can offer you.
That advantage is worth considering no matter how often you travel. Other advantages come in if you travel more.
Frequent travelers save money in the long run booking directly with an airline and joining loyalty programs. The advantages of loyalty might not show up on the first trip, but they will certainly present themselves in time. Here are some more in-depth looks at the advantages of booking directly with an airline.
You’ll Be Better Off Canceling or Changing a Reservation
When choosing to book through an airline or a 3rd party, ask yourself how likely it is that you might have to change your reservation. Booking flights directly through an airline reduces your risk of financial loss in case you have to change your reservation or cancel it. Sure, there are often cancelation fees even when you book through an airline. Even so, you’ll have an easier time changing or canceling when you book directly.
You are far less likely to lose out on all of the money you put toward your reservation if you book directly. A 3rd-party removes you from the airline, and neither party feels obligated to help you.
The 3rd-party will tell you to talk to the airline. The airline will tell you to talk to the 3rd-party. It’s like any mundane example you can think of when bringing a 3rd-party into the picture makes things trickier. As a go-between, the 3rd-party doesn’t feel it’s their problem. And, because you used a go-between, the airline doesn’t really see you as their customer.
The bottom line is: if there’s a good chance you’ll need to cancel or change your plans, book directly through an airline. Minimize your risk by paying a little more up-front. Otherwise, you will regret it when you have to make a change.
You Can Establish Loyalty and Get Benefits
For frequent travelers, there’s no reason to dodge loyalty to an airline or a handful of airlines. Unlike some things in life, you can be loyal to more than one airline at a time. You just have to join loyalty programs.
You should probably start with one and go from there. Or, you can consider the Star Alliance awards program or something similar, if you find yourself on multiple airlines frequently enough. It really depends on your type of frequent travel.
Your main consideration should be regional. Where are you usually flying from and to? If you typically fly out of a United Airlines hub such as IAH, you should consider their Mileage Plus program, for example.
If you live in a small town with a small airport that only hosts one or two airlines, your decision should be pretty simple. Once you make this decision, you’ll start getting benefits. Perks of the aforementioned mileage plus program, for example, include early boarding, free checked baggage, and club passes.
Airline clubs, depending on the airline and the airport, are typically like an oasis in the airport desert. The air is fresher. The complimentary beverages are a godsend. The seating is optimal. The quiet is refreshing. The wifi is supreme. The snacks are…well, that usually varies the most in my experience, but you can probably expect a crisp saran wrapped apple.
While not a guarantee, airlines upgrade their loyalty program members before they’ll upgrade anyone that booked through a 3rd party. You may not immediately get bumped up to business class for your first flight after joining, but if you fly enough, it will happen.
I don’t think you could say the same for someone always booking through a 3rd party. If you are a member of a loyalty program, you will eventually get major benefits from it. That just isn’t in the cards for you when you’re not booking directly with an airline with your loyalty program identification.
It Is More Convenient All-Around
The benefits and the flexibility that comes with booking a flight directly with the airline making it generally more convenient for you. You learn what to expect when you’re sticking with an airline throughout your travels and booking through them directly.
You can get your bags checked all the way through to your destination with less hassle. You’re taking fewer risks overall, which makes your travel less stressful.
It’s kind of like booking a direct flight rather than a flight with stops. Non-stop flights are usually more expensive, but you’re paying for the convenience and to minimize risk. Every stop your flight includes means an increase in risk. And, what you’re risking is not making it to your destination on time.
Sometimes, your travel flexibility allows for more risk. Other times, it’s really worth it to pay a little extra for less risk and more convenience.
3 Advantages When You Book a Plane Ticket Through a Third Party
The advantages of booking a plane ticket through a 3rd-party come from the expansion of options you are offered that way. Basically, you’re limited when you book through an airline directly. Booking through a 3rd-party exponentially increases your options.
Increased options mean you have a better chance of finding something cheaper. Further, it expands your options for other parts of your trip. You may get offers hotels and car rentals when you book your flight directly through an airline, but those options will also be more limited.
You Get More Cost Comparison
When you book directly through an airline, your only cost comparison is to other flights with the same airline. A 3rd-party service searches myriad airline options for you and shows you the top flights among them. The most salient advantage of booking through a 3rd-party is cost comparison.
You can get the cheapest flights available by using 3rd-party flight-booking websites. The reason is simple. These websites can present you with more options than a single airline because it searches among many.
You Can Get Cheaper Flights by Mixing and Matching
In addition to searching across many airlines for you to find the best price, you can mix and match flights through a 3rd-party flight booker. You’ve probably marveled at some point at a cheap flight that takes you to the west coast before bringing you to your east coast destination.
A 3rd-party search engine offers you the chance to mix and match unusually cheap one-way flights. You can potentially do this with a single airline, but the reason you’re more likely to get a better deal through a 3rd-party is that it can also mix airlines.
If you have the flexibility or you simply need to find the cheapest flights possible, a 3rd-party search engine is the way to go. You may end up in Denver twice before you reach your destination, but you can end up with a wildly cheap mixed-airline flight.
You Can Book More Reservations While You Book Your Flight
Most 3rd-party booking sites are also going to be able to help you with your hotel reservations at the same time you book your flight. This is something you can also do when you book directly through an airline, perhaps. And, if you’re part of a loyalty program, you might want to do so for the miles.
However, if your goal is to plan the cheapest trip possible, you may still be better off with the exhaustive options provided by a 3rd-party booking website. You’ll be able to compare even more hotel chains than airlines, after mixing and matching to get the cheapest flight.
Booking Directly is Often Worth It, But Not Always
The bottom line is that you need to decide how much you’re willing to spend on peace of mind, comfort, convenience, and future benefits. Booking through an airline is ultimately less risky and loyalty to an airline will eventually pay off more than booking with a 3rd-party.
Booking through a 3rd-party is probably going to be cheaper, at least upfront because there will be more to choose from. This could help people travel on a budget. The choice is yours, as is the risk.