Charges for air flights

[brneyes]

I am planning on booking a flight through Travelocity or Expedia, etc. on my credit card. How can I find out how much they charge to do this service for me. I don't want to go into "shock" when I find the amount on my credit card.

I may go through my travel agent, but I think it is cheaper to do it on my own.

[rbum]

brneyes, I have not used travelocity or expedia; however I have used hotwire and priceline. The price they show includes their fee. It is very reasonable, around $10.00. I'm pretty sure they give a breakdown showing all fees. Rbum

[avenger]

Yes, rbum is right, the price they show does include their fee, I usually use Expedia myself because they're fees are quite reasonable, I believe they are $5.00 per person per booking.

[Dave]

After a particularly hosed up encounter with Travelocity last year, I now book directly with the airline. I needed to change the flight times, which I knew would require the usual $50 per person rebooking fee. After being on hold for 40 minutes I finally got to speak with "Steve" in New Delhi. He insisted I would incur a fee of somewhere around $700 for the new flight times and I should simply request the new flight times when I showed up at the airport....Miami on a cruise ship Saturday which means there was no way I'd get three seats on one of the most popular flights. "Oh, they will have plenty of seats and it will only cost you $25". I realized I was talking to an idiot and hung up. I then called Delta directly and got what I wanted for the expected $50 rebooking fee.

I don't know about all airlines but I've never found an airfare to be any lower on the travel websites than what I can get on the Delta website.

[brneyes]

Thank you all for your input on the fee charges. That puts my mind at ease.

Right now it looks like we will go through Midwest or American Airlines out of our area. They are both the same price. I did try going through Midwest website, but when it came to flying to San Juan, it would not show anything. I know we will fly into some other area first, and then on there.

[Sonny V]

Dave is right again. Going to an airline site or calling an airline is the best. Here's a good way to compare prices and it's easy to use. www.kayak.com

Sonny

[Karen Knowlton]

Midwest does not fly into San Juan. Its service areas are limited (part of the reason it remains such a pleasant airline to fly in many ways ). It also does not fly to Miami, but to Ft Lauderdale, and then only "in season".

I often use Travelocity to find the best combination of flight schedules and price, then book directly on the website of the airline that offers that best combination. Be aware that when you change airlines (fly to Florida on Midwest, then change to another airline, say American, for the flight to San Juan), you may have to change terminals, and you increase exponentially the chance that your luggage will get lost in the process. I recommend sticking with one airline for each direction of your trip.

There is usually little or no extra fee for booking this way; sites like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, etc. are really travel agencies, and will charge a fee for this service - as will your local travel agent. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you are aware that you will pay for that extra "service." (I use quote marks as you may or may not get post-purchase service, other than a way to print off your e-tickets, from the online sites, while you may get service from your travel agent. BTW, I hope you booked your cruise through your T.A! )

[Agutaya]

I agree with Karen. I start with Orbitz, Expedia, or Priceline to get prices and schedules. Then I go to the airline's website and usually book the flight for the same price, or even a little lower. Another advantage of booking this way is that I get more frequent flyer miles for booking through the airline's website.

[Jim C.]

Brneyes- If you are planning on using American Airlines, you are better off going to their website and booking online. You get teh cheapest price that way. I have used expedia and travelocity and have found that the AA.com site gives as good or better prices. And if you have to make a change, the travel sites want to add an additional fee on top of the airlines fee for the trouble... food for thought...

[brneyes]

Thank you everyone for your input. I thought it was strange that Midwest would fly directly into San Juan, and I figured I would have to transfer some where. If American Airlines still have the same price, I will probably go directly to them.

Everyone have a great day.....that is what is left of it.