My cousin swore I could save $200 by booking flights through a third-party site instead of direct. Ended up stranded in Chicago for 14 hours with no rebooking options.

So my cousin Kyle who travels a lot told me that third-party sites like Skiplagged are the way to go. He said airlines are scamming you with their prices. I found a flight from Denver to New York for $180 vs $380 direct. Sounded great. But when my connecting flight got canceled in Chicago, the airline said I had to deal with the third-party. The third-party had a phone number that put me on hold for 2 hours then hung up. I ended up buying a last minute ticket for $450 to get home. So I saved $200 upfront but spent $450 later. Is it really worth the gamble or did I just get unlucky? Anyone else have this happen?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony88325d ago

Flew Spirit through Priceline once to save $60. Ended up paying $200 for a same-day ticket after a 4 hour delay. I think these sites are fine until something goes wrong. Then you are just stuck. Maybe its worth it if you never have to talk to anyone.

garcia.charles25d ago

My uncle runs a small travel agency and he told me something that changed how I look at this. He said third party sites are basically just resellers that buy tickets in bulk and don't handle any of the customer service. The real trick is using a travel credit card with trip protection built in. I got the Chase Sapphire Preferred and it covers stuff like missed connections and delays up to like $500 per ticket. So if you book direct with a card like that you're paying maybe $95 annual fee but you get that money back in perks plus you can actually talk to someone at the airline when things go wrong. The third party sites are just middlemen that disappear when you need them. Think of it like buying a car from a random guy on Facebook versus a dealership. Sure you might save a few bucks but if the engine blows up you're on your own. The peace of mind knowing someone will actually pick up the phone is worth more than that $200 in my book.