If Cheap Is All That Matters

Which airline booking sites offer the cheapest airfares?

The sites you’ve certainly heard of — Travelocity, Expedia, Kayak, Orbitz — were all dependably similar, their lowest offerings rarely differing more than a few dollars. But the upstarts occasionally beat them. For that Miami-Chicago flight, the old guard circled around $378. But Routehappy found one for $361, and I followed it through to just before the final click, and it was legit. (Momondo gets an honorable mention at $364.)

So the best technique here is to check one of the traditional sites, and then play around with the new guys and see if they can pull an upset. Then, before you book, check the airline’s own website to make sure it’s not even cheaper there. (And don’t forget that Southwest — by its own choice — doesn’t show up on most sites.) And as long as you’ve popped over, it’s almost always a good idea to do the actual booking from the airline’s site: It’s often easier — and rarely harder — to take care of the minutiae (entering your awards number, choosing seats and paying for extra luggage, as well as changing your reservation down the line if necessary).

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