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The 10 Best (and Worst) Airfare Search Sites for 2024

Frommer’s regularly pits the best airfare search engines, aggregators, and booking sites against each other in a battle royale to see which can find the lowest price on more than two dozen identical searches for flights. 

This year’s results bring new discoveries. We are excited to announce that none of our new top three—the best of the best—is a household name. We are equally excited to discover that if you’re specifically looking for a last-minute deal on airfare, a fourth website, one that’s not even in our top three, is the best choice. And two former airfare search sites fell out of our Top 10 entirely: This year, both Booking.com and FlightNetwork failed to take off. As for the rest of our Top 10, each one has its pluses and minuses, which we’re about to reveal in our reviews below.

On this year’s list, two sites that previously languished in the bottom half of the reviews have upped their games and zoomed into the top ranks—and one former low performer improved so much that it nabbed the top slot.

We have winnowed down a wide field to the 10 best airfare sites for 2024. Here they are.

We tested 15 sites on 32 itineraries, trying both last-minute flights (leaving in a week) and APEX fares (booked three months out). We covered major gateways (NYC to LAX, LAX to Hong Kong, NYC to Paris) and secondary ones (Philly to Tampa, Chicago to Rome, Miami to Rio). We threw in a curve ball (Dallas to Dubai) and included a flight with no North American legs (London to Barcelona) to see how well each handled Europe‘s wilderness of low-cost carriers.

We also ignored low fares that would be miserable to fly due to excessively drawn-out layovers, too many stops, or flying long detours just to change planes. Basically, we rejected any itinerary that increased total travel time by more than half. Airlines may think those are viable plans, but we don’t.

We then used a rigorous, weighted scoring system that rewarded three points to any airfare search site that found the best fares, two points for second-best, and so on. We also penalized fares with negative points if the price proved to be higher than the average result from all competitors. Fares within 1% of one another were considered equal.

• An aggregator is only as good as the OTAs it canvasses. There are booking engines that sell tickets directly (Hotwire, Kiwi, CheapOAir, etc.). And then there are aggregators, which are sites that do not book tickets but instead search dozens of other booking engines, airfare sites, and OTAs (online travel agencies) and compile the results in one place; travelers then click through to their selection to make the actual purchase on the third-party site that’s actually selling it.

Some of the booking sites that aggregators show you are safer than others. All quality aggregators will remove unreliable ticket sellers from their searches, but problems can slip through. As you should do when you are referred to any unfamiliar company, always do a quick Better Business Bureau check for an unfamiliar airfare seller and search for complaints and red flags. 

Also, some OTAs are prone to dangling lead prices a few bucks below what they will actually offer once you click through, and some misleadingly categorize “direct” flights—which do actually stop, but don't require you to change planes— as “nonstop.” Because prices can change from moment to moment, even the most honorable aggregator may lead you to a site where you can’t find the airfare you were originally quoted. When that happened to us frequently in our review tests, we let you know.

Aggregator Google may be the Titan of online search, but it fumbles when it comes to airfares. 

Google does have some things going for it. It is unbelievably fast, refreshing results even as you key in destinations or change filters. It displays average prices on a popup calendar when you’re choosing dates so you can see at a glance the cheapest days to fly. It also lets you peruse a price grid and price graph on the results page. 

Google’s flight search features a fabulous “Explore” feature that allows you to select major city pairs and find the lowest fare for your dates (plus price trends for the month surrounding it), or just see at a glance how much it roughly costs to fly from your designated airport to dozens of destinations. It is also one of only three sites, including our #1, to feature a filter to include fees for checked and cabin bags in the prices. 

So why is the mighty Google at the back of the pack?

Its price results were all over the place. It found the best fare a grand total of one time, flying from Miami to Rio—but four of our top five sites matched it. Then it tanked on rooting out the absolutely lowest fares for two major routes: NYC to Paris and LA to Hong Kong. Its results for pricier direct flights on those itineraries were just average. 

Google frequently found the exact same flight as many other sites did, but at prices just a little bit higher—often just 5% to 15%, but in some cases bafflingly higher, like the last-minute Dallas-Dubai jaunt on Emirates; Google wanted $673 more than our price champion for that flight, and around $250 more than several other sites found.

After quietly doing away with its Hot Rates (deeply discounted opaque airfares), Hotwire fell out of our ranking after 2017. Now it’s back, but with a huge caveat: Never use Hotwire for last-minute fare. 

Hotwire performed, by far, the worst of any site we tested at last-minute prices, chalking up the highest airfare a whopping six times. The two better-than-average rates it did find were balanced out by a pair of worse-than-average ones on other itineraries. 

Hotwire made up some ground by being flatly average when it came to booking farther in advance. It never found the cheapest overall fare, but it often nabbed lower or even the lowest rates on direct flights.

Beyond that, it failed pretty hard, and we think we know why. Hotwire was the only site that missed big chances to bring no-frills carriers into the mix. On New York–to-Paris, it found a decent $745 fare on Scandinavian, albeit with a stopover—but everyone else found a direct Flybee flight for even less ($666–$687). The best Hotwire could muster for a direct flight: $987 on Norse.

More egregiously, because Hotwire only searches one airport at a time by default, it missed lots of cheaper no-frills flights that were available at nearby alternate airports. Because of that blind spot, Hotwire insisted on a British Airways fare for our London-Barcelona hop that actually cost around four times more than booking a combo of no-frills RyanAir, easyJet, and Vueling from other airports in London—a tactic every other site knew enough to include in results. Hotwire pulled the same face-plant on last-minute fares on the same route; the Air France tickets it offered us cost twice as much as the low-cost carriers in that scenario.

Another mark against Hotwire is its poor set of filters. Along with other problems, it offered no way to indicate a maximum total flight time or layover duration you’d be willing to deal with. That’s pretty much a standard sidebar slider everywhere else. We did like the way its showcases, above the results, how much it would cost to fly on three days to either side of your chosen date.

By the way: If you’re wondering why Expedia (and its corporate siblings, Orbitz and Travelocity) is not on this list, it is because those results are all right here in Hotwire. Expedia now just uses the Hotwire engine for its airfare functions, so if you search Expedia now, you’ve searched Hotwire.

This year,  Hopper , the travel app with an intuitive and colorful interface, tumbled five places from #3. 

When it came to finding cheap airfares, Hopper was a mixed bag. It did well enough on advance-purchase APEX fares, scoring slightly better prices than average about a third of the time. But that decent performance was counterbalanced by a dismal performance in the last-minute category. Hopper got whatever is the opposite of a silver medal, second only to Hotwire in putting up the worst prices the most often. Oddly, the only place where it fared better than average was on our curveball Dallas-to-Dubai itinerary. 

In terms of utility, Hopper still gives its users advice about the best dates to book based on price trends, but that feature used to offer far, far more insight on every flight—it once had bar graphs and historical prices, baggage fees and seat pitches, and the cost of various amenities. Those are all gone, although on the final booking page, Hopper will at least link you to the airline’s own page on baggage regulations and costs (except when that link is broken). 

Some features remain. The calendar for selecting dates is color coded to show the cheapest travel days for two months, so you can easily spot where a bit of flexibility might save you money. In addition to a paltry half-dozen sort-by filters (price, flight duration, number of stops, etc.), Hopper can limit the results to its self-defined categories of Basic (cheapest), Standard (economy fares, but with at least free carry-ons and seat selection), Enhanced (more legroom, priority boarding, free snacks, etc.), plus Premium and Luxury for folks who probably don't need this roundup of the best places to book airfares online. One nice touch: Hopper includes a novel option to limit results to flights with no change fee.

Speaking of fees, Hopper sure does like to pressure you to pay a lot of them for its own add-on services, like freezing a fare for up to 21 days for a sliding scale cost, plus flight protection and cancel-for-any-reason insurances—each of which Hopper, annoyingly, makes you decline on two screens in a row before you can proceed. (On that note, for security’s sake, we always recommend you buy travel insurance from a third party, never from the provider who sells you the trip, in case that provider becomes unreachable.)

We’re not sure what happened to the Czech booking site Kiwi.com to make it tumble from #2 to #7 in less than two years, but the numbers don’t lie. Most of its fares were just a little above or below average, though it did find the cheapest last-minute flights from Miami to Rio and Chicago to Rome. 

What tanked its score was twofold. It performed poorly on advance-purchase direct flights (out of eight itineraries, it scored under average three times and worst of all another three). Kiwi did come up with the cheapest overall fares on NYC to Paris and L.A. to Hong Hong with connecting flights—but then so did most of the sites that outranked it.

Kiwi does have some features to recommend it. It caters to travelers who can be flexible. The default departure date is "anytime," allowing you to see which days are cheapest, and once you do choose a date, pop-up calendars show indicative prices for every day over two months. The results page has a fare grid for three days to either side of your chosen dates, and a trends bar graph showing what prices are likely for a dozen days out (and you can scroll even earlier or later). It’ll even throw in train and bus options, if available, which on our list is unique to Kiwi. It also has the second-best set of filters in the game, rivaled only by our #1. 

But there’s a hitch. We must point out that Kiwi does catch some bad reviews for lackluster customer service when something goes wrong. Frommer’s has received complaints about Kiwi from readers, and few rivals would be jealous of its status with the Better Business Bureau, which fields complaints about its Miami office. Bearing that in mind, some travelers may feel more comfortable using Kiwi to find ideal itineraries but then buy them elsewhere. 

The last time we ran our tests, Priceline lost the precarious grip it had kept on the #10 spot for years and fell off the list entirely. During its time in the wilderness, Priceline evidently cleaned up some of its worst practices. It has vastly improved its filters, provided daily price comparisons on the popup date-picker calendars, and no longer turns up its nose at low-cost carriers. That, plus its solid, if not breathtaking, price performance, has placed Priceline back in good graces and firmly in the middle of the pack.

Overall, last-minute fares were Priceline’s biggest weakness, underperforming even our #7 contender, Kiwi, on that score. It was the advance fares that lifted Priceline to #6. It even pulled off a few nice moves. Priceline alone realized you could shave $40 off a CHI-ROM flight in exchange for a short layover in Istanbul. It was also one of only two tested sites to figure out you could save 35% on a last-minute trip from NYC to L.A. as long as you were willing to endure a brief layover. 

Priceline of course also still offers its original, quirky travel hack: The “Express Deals.” These are opaque fares in which you get to pick your airports and travel dates, but not learn precise flight times, airlines, or stopovers until you pay. Before purchasing, you’ll only know whether it’s a morning, mid-day, or evening takeoff and that there will be “0–1” plane changes. If you are willing to put up with that degree of uncertainty, you can save up to 40%, though the discount is typically more around the 10% mark.

Aggregator Tripadvisor  holds its position in fifth place, proving that while it may no longer be just a platform to vent about travel mishaps, but its airfare results are holding steady. 

Tripadvisor offers the clever cost-saving option to include nearby airports—you never know when Newark-to-Fort Lauderdale will cost half a LaGuardia-to-Miami ticket—and its great set of filters includes one that lets you limit the booking sites it checks to only the names you trust.

What’s holding it back at #5—aside from being annoyingly slow—is that whenever it found the cheapest tickets, or even a better-than-average airfare, so did our top three sites. And those higher-ranked sites pulled off this feat even more often. Tripadvisor also turned in a resoundingly meh performance on last-minute airfares, with overwhelmingly average results nearly across the board. 

The highest ranked OTA on our list, CheapOAir reigns supreme when it comes to last-minute airfares. How good are the airfares it sells? A few rivals managed to find the best price one or two times, but CheapOAir did so an impressive six times. 

However, alongside those six wins, CheapOAir posted three prices that were worse than average (but not the worst). You could say it’s all or nothing with these folks—even more so when it came to advance-purchase fares, where CheapoAir’s performance was all over the place. Put it this way: If we ignored its stellar performance in the last-minute category and scored things based only on buying tickets a few months out, CheapOAir would rank 7th, not 4th. 

A few other quibbles: CheapOAir won the booby prize for Most Annoying Popups—pestering us to "Speak to a travel expert" or pick "Air-hotel package or flights only?" to a vexing degree. It was also the slowest of our bunch, and sometimes pretty glitchy. 

On the plus side, the popup date-picker calendars automatically populate with airfare prices for every day, so you can see at a glance which day is cheapest to fly. CheapOAir also had a handy cheat sheet chart at the top of results showing the costs, both non-stop and cheapest, for the best half-dozen airlines. The filters were also pretty good, including options to show alternate dates and nearby airports (both can be great cost-saving techniques).

Always give CheapOAir a look if you are planning to fly in the immediate future—but then also run the numbers at our top three, just in case.

This decade-old upstart quickly outgrew its travel hacker roots to find a comfortable roost on our ranking among the top three—even when we left out the problematic "Hidden city" fares that were once its calling card. 

Hidden city fares—which you can easily exclude by unticking the box next to the word "SKIPLAGGING"—are tedious to explain but boil down to this: They can sometimes cost less, but you don't get to check any luggage. Most crucially, hidden city fares are against airline rules and can result in unpleasant, pricey consequences or even lawsuits if you're caught. But Skiplagged gives you the option to exclude this controversial type of airfare, which we did for our tests. 

Ironically, the site that named itself for a technique that games multi-leg journeys turned out to be strong on direct flights. Our top three sites were pretty much neck-and-neck when it came to pricing (all excellent at the long game, average on last-minute airfares), so it comes down to their other features.

Skiplagged's delightfully simple graphic interface lets you compare, at a glance, the lengths of trips, including layover durations. When you enter a departure airport or city, the arrival is defaulted to "Anywhere;" if you leave it that way, you get a page of photos with prices for a bunch of tempting getaways all across North America (sadly, though, nowhere else).

Skiplagged’s popup calendars show how much the flight costs on each day over two months, so you can easily see how tinkering with the departure or return can save you money. (On the two sites that placed higher in our review ranking, this feature only indicates price ranges, not precise fares).

We do have a few criticisms. Some of Skiplagged’s seemingly low fares from questionable OTAs were actually higher than the competition once you click over and discover service fees and the like. Skiplagged also lacks robust filters, doesn't disclose baggage fees, and rounds down all the prices—that last complaint is minor since we're only talking about a few cents, but just feels sneaky.

Skyscanner remains one of the best performers on price and essentially tied with #3, Skiplagged, in securing the lowest fares on advance purchase tickets. Skyscanner was consistently average on last-minute bookings—but we give it a shout-out for it nailing the cheapest price by far on a quick getaway from Philly to Tampa, even if it was on Spirit. Something else it shares with Skiplagged: mediocre filters.

This time, Skyscanner earned the edge for a few reasons. You can choose "Explore everywhere" as your destination to get a nice grid of destinations and the cheapest cost to get there. Unlike the similar feature at Skiplagged, which is constrained to North America, if you keep scrolling down on Skyscanner, you will get destinations on other continents as well.

This was also one of the first aggregators to include low-cost airlines, and it continues to innovate by including a star rating for all third-party booking sites (and how many users rated it), which helps with vetting unfamiliar OTAs.

Skyscanner offers the option to include nearby airports and to search for destinations in an entire country rather than just a city. While the initial popup calendars for travel dates do not show, as do some others, the precise prices to fly on alternate days, they do indicate each day’s relative cost category via a color code. Then, once you get to the results page, the tiny "Show whole month" link at the top will provide a page with two months’ worth of estimated prices.

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6 Best Websites for Booking Cheap Flights

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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 is the lack of Southwest flight prices. Although Southwest flight schedules will show in flight search results, Southwest flight prices aren't available. That's because Southwest chooses to publish flight prices only on its website.

» Learn more: Why Southwest is not on Google Flights

Another 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.

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 our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

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

on Chase's website

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.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1.5%-6.5% Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, 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.

$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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The 12 Best Websites for Booking Flights at the Cheapest Prices [April 2024]

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Book Direct Through the Airline’s Website

4. priceline, 8. skyscanner, 9. travelocity, 10. google flights, 11. cheapoair, price comparisons, final thoughts.

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Searching for a flight can be a bit overwhelming. There are so many factors: dates, times, price, fare class, airline, and more. Even when you know exactly when and where you want to fly, where should you look for the absolute best price?

Unfortunately, no website consistently has the lowest prices. Most of the popular OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) are usually in the same ballpark for the price, but not all offer the same benefits or search functionality.

We’ve combed through many popular OTAs to compare prices and show you the benefits and drawbacks of each site.

More often than not, booking directly through the airline’s website will give you the best price, or will at least be the same as the OTAs.

Some airlines, like Southwest, won’t even show up on sites like Expedia or Orbitz, so you have to book direct. It can also be the most simple way to book. If a problem arises, you don’t have to deal with a third party to get it resolved.

Another reason to book directly through an airline’s website is to use those frequent flyer miles — hooray for award flights!

Of course, to book through the airline’s website, you first need to know which airline has the best prices. There are lots of travel search engines and OTAs that can help you find the best deals so you know which airline’s website to visit. Some OTAs even offer perks that might make it worth booking someplace other than the airline’s site.

Hot Tip: A card such as The Platinum Card ® from American Express earns an impressive 5x Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on flights booked directly with airlines or with  AmexTravel.com on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.

Momondo is a travel metasearch engine similar to Kayak. The home page displays a simple search box where you can plug in your travel details.

One of the things we love about this site is the visual way it shows you the price trends for your flight. At first glance, you can tell if you could save some money by shifting around your travel dates a bit. It also offers a price tracker and lots of filtering options on the left-hand side of the screen.

Pros and Cons of Momondo

• Great price tracking tools
• Mix & Match fares require you to make 2 separate reservations; this is usually handled “behind the scenes” on other websites

Hot Tip: We cover the ins and outs of finding cheap airfare with this website in our guide to using Momondo .

Kayak is not an OTA. Rather, it’s a travel search engine — making it a great place to start your flight search.

The site compares prices from many websites in a single spot, so you can easily see the cheapest options . Most of the time, you’ll click through to a different site to complete your booking.

Kayak offers the ability to combine 2 one-way tickets (usually on different airlines) in 1 itinerary, which is a great way to save money on your flight. These itineraries can be pretty good deals and something that doesn’t always appear in search results of other websites.

A couple of new features were introduced in early 2024 — Kayak PriceCheck and Ask Kayak. Kayak PriceCheck allows you to upload a screenshot of an itinerary in the Kayak app, and Kayak will compare it to prices on hundreds of other sites to ensure you’re getting the best deal. Ask Kayak is an AI tool that helps you personalize your travel planning.

Pros and Cons of Kayak

• Ability to combine 2 one-way flights on a single itinerary
• Price Alerts to keep an eye on flight prices
• Kayak PriceCheck
• Kayak offers the most benefit when your travel plans are very flexible; many of its most valuable tools help you search for deals, so this site might be less appealing when you have a specific flight in mind

Bottom Line: For more information about Kayak’s travel search tools, check out the complete guide to booking travel with Kayak .

Daily Deals Special: Click here for up to 40% off at Expedia

Expedia is another tried-and-true OTA that people have been using since the 1990s. Back then, Expedia was a go-to source for searching and booking flights. But how does it stack up now?

You aren’t necessarily getting a better deal booking through Expedia, but you aren’t paying any more than you might on the airline’s website.

A nice perk of using Expedia is that it offers a rewards program called One Key. This program offers member pricing plus the ability to earn points for flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, activities, and more.

The One Key loyalty program is also used by Hotels.com and Vrbo.

If you’re a member of an airline’s frequent flyer program, you’ll be happy to know that you can still earn airline miles on a flight booked through Expedia . However, you often won’t be able to earn miles/points toward status or be eligible for seat upgrades.

Pros and Cons of Expedia

• Earn and redeem points through the One Key program
• Booking through Expedia may limit your mileage earned toward elite status
• Your ability to be eligible for upgrades can be limited when you book through Expedia

Hot Tip:  For more information, check out our post about how to use Expedia to find great deals on flights, hotels, vacation packages (and more).

Priceline is a popular OTA that introduced the Name Your Own Price tool and opaque bookings. These types of bookings can offer discounts, but many of the details are hidden until after the booking. The Name Your Own Price tool was discontinued for flights in 2016, so now Priceline operates like most other OTAs .

One of the nice things about searching for flights on Priceline is that it has a nice color-coded calendar, so you can easily see which days offer the lowest prices.

The search results on Priceline are clear and easy to navigate. As you scroll through your search results, you can easily see the cheapest nonstop options and things like flights with no change fees or early bird flights.

Another way to save money is by looking at Priceline’s Express Deals . These opaque bookings are ones where select details of the flight (like the departure, arrival times, or even the airline) are hidden until the booking is complete.

Pros and Cons of Priceline

• Express Deal flights can offer a good discount if you have some flexibility; many of the details of the flight, including airline and arrival and departure times, are hidden until the booking is complete
• Color-coded calendar and easy-to-read search results
• Price Match Guarantee
• Free online cancellation within 24 hours of booking (except for Express Deal flights)
• No rewards program
• Express Deal flights can be good deals, but they can sometimes be even more expensive than a standard booking

Bottom Line: For more information, check out the complete guide to booking travel with Priceline .

Daily Deals Special: Check out Orbitz’s Daily Deals

Orbitz is another reliable OTA that has been around since 2001. One thing that makes this site a little different is that it offers its own rewards program called Orbitz Rewards . You can earn Orbucks when you book hotels, flights, and vacation packages through Orbitz. However, you can only redeem Orbucks for hotels.

When booking a flight through Orbitz, you’ll earn 1% of your purchase price back as Orbucks (or 2% if you use the Orbitz mobile app). If you book a $500 flight, you will earn 5 Orbucks, which is worth $5 toward a hotel booking. Joining the Orbitz Rewards program is free.

Unfortunately, Orbitz sometimes charges a 1% booking fee . Keep an eye out for these on your trip summary page before finalizing your purchase, and factor them into your calculations to see if you’re getting a good deal or not. While earning Orbucks is great, paying a booking fee could wipe out all of the benefits.

Pros and Cons of Orbitz

• Orbitz Rewards lets you earn Orbucks that can be applied to hotel bookings
• 24-hour cancellation policy
• Low Price Guarantee: if you find a lower price for your flight on another website within 24 hours, Orbitz will refund the difference
• Flight booking fees

Bottom Line: For more information, check out our guide to booking travel with Orbitz .

Agoda is an OTA owned by Priceline. This website doesn’t offer much more than a simple search with limited filter options when looking for flights. If you’re looking for unique accommodations such as an apartment or private villa, Agoda is worth checking out, but it doesn’t offer much when searching for flights.

One cool thing about Agoda is that the site is multilingual. You can select your language by clicking on the flag in the top menu bar.

Pros and Cons of Agoda

• Simple search functionality
• Multilingual option
• Limited filtering options for flights

Hot Tip: Agoda has a loyalty program called VIP, but it only applies to hotel stays. For more information, check out our guide to booking travel through Agoda .

Special: See these Hotwire Flight Deals

Hotwire is a popular OTA that has been around for almost 20 years.

The simple home page offers the main search box to input your departure and arrival cities as well as your desired dates of travel.

Hotwire can offer a great deal when booking a hotel along with your flight . Many times during the booking process, you’ll see pop-ups or prompts advertising great savings when booking a hotel at the same time. We tested it, and every time we priced out a Hotwire vacation package deal against purchasing a flight and hotel separately, the package deal was cheaper.

Bottom Line: If you need a hotel in addition to your flight, booking both together through Hotwire can save you money.

Another thing to remember when using Hotwire to find great flight deals is that sometimes a booking fee will be charged.

Pros and Cons of Hotwire

• Package deals that include a hotel stay can save money
• Low Price Guarantee
• Hotwire can sometimes charge a booking fee

Bottom Line: For more details about finding great deals, check out our complete guide to booking travel through Hotwire .

Skyscanner is another travel search engine that does not sell flights directly. It shows you a list of flights and links to the airline’s website or OTA to complete the purchase.

This site excels for travelers with flexibility . In the search box, you can select Explore everywhere  to search for the cheapest destinations on your chosen dates.

If you have a set destination with specific dates, Skyscanner operates like most other travel search sites.

Pros and Cons of Skyscanner

• Flexible searches, including Explore everywhere  and Multi-city search
• Easy to change language and currency
• Price alerts

Hot Tip:  For more information, check out our in-depth piece on Skyscanner . 

Travelocity is yet another OTA that has been around for a while and is very similar to the other websites we’ve been looking at.

On the plus side, there are some nice filtering options to help you find the best flight for your needs. On the downside, prices can change between selection and booking. We did a dummy booking, and by the time we got to the payment section, the flight price had gone up from $157 to $338!

Much like other online travel agencies, Travelocity can also charge booking fees, so keep an eye out for those in the payment section of the booking process.

Pros and Cons of Travelocity

• Price Guarantee: If you find a lower price on an identical itinerary within 24 hours, Travelocity will refund the difference in price
• Free cancellation on flights within 24 hours of booking (on most airlines)
• Travelocity sometimes charges a booking fee
• Prices can change between flight selection and payment

Bottom Line: For more information, check out our guide to booking travel with Travelocity .

Google Flights is not an OTA. Rather, it’s a metasearch engine similar to Kayak. Once you find a flight, Google Flights will link you to the airline’s direct website or an OTA to complete the purchase. It is a powerful search engine built on the ITA Matrix , which was originally developed for travel agents.

This site shows you price trends and how your travel dates could affect the cost of your ticket. Plus, it allows you to track the prices of a route , so you can jump on low prices when they pop up. These features make Google Flights a great tool to help you feel confident that the price you’re getting is a good deal.

Google Flights recently rolled out a price guarantee feature on select flights departing from the U.S. If you book a flight with the price guarantee badge and the price drops, you’ll get a refund of the difference (with a maximum of $500 per calendar year) from Google Flights via Google Pay. However, you can only receive up to 3 price guaranteed refunds at any one time.

Pros and Cons of Google Flights

• Price graph shows you the pricing trends for your route and allows you to see what days might be cheaper to fly
• Price tracking will send you an email when your flight’s price increases or decreases
• Automatic price guarantee on select flights
• Since this search engine is so powerful with lots of options, it could get complicated for a novice traveler

Hot Tip: You can earn frequent flyer miles on flights booked through an OTA, but you might not earn miles toward elite status.

CheapOair is an OTA that offers its own credit card. Before applying for the card, we recommend considering a better travel rewards credit card  for more lucrative and flexible travel rewards.

This site might not be as cheap as you would think. That’s because it can charge expensive “agency fees.” For most flights, the fees can be up to $35; however, once you read the fine print, you’ll see they can actually be as high as $200 per ticket!

In addition, CheapOair charges a fee to change or cancel any ticket, including within 24 hours, which is free on many other sites.

Pros and Cons of CheapOair

• Price Match Promise: CheapOair will refund the difference in price if you find a lower price on the same itinerary on a major OTA within 24 hours of booking
• CheapOair charges hefty booking fees in addition to fees to cancel or change your flight
• Price Match Promise is very limited; the guarantee is only good for identical flights on Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, and Travelocity

Bottom Line: CheapOair might not be cheap after all. It advertises low base fares, but it charges booking fees, which usually result in a higher price than the airline’s website. For more information, check out our guide to CheapOair .

Hopper is an app that tries to predict the right time to buy a flight. It claims that using its app can save you up to 40% on flights. The simple interface and color-coded map show you the cheapest and most expensive times to fly to your chosen destination.

You can also set up alerts to watch the prices for your specific dates or watch a whole month if you have flexible travel plans.

Pros and Cons of Hopper

• Easy to use
• Choose to watch prices for a specific trip or choose to watch prices over a whole month
• No ability to search on a desktop
• Few filtering options

Hot Tip: There are many credit cards with travel insurance and extra protections like trip interruption and cancellation protection and baggage delay coverage . We suggest looking at Chase credit cards or Amex credit cards for great insurance coverage.

We searched for a flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York City (JFK) across different travel booking websites to compare pricing head-to-head. Below is the cheapest ticket each website offered.

In this search, we weren’t taking anything other than price into consideration. When you are actually booking a flight, there will most likely be more factors that go into your decision of which flight to book.

In this example, Google Flights, Hopper, and Priceline tied for the cheapest flight cost with Expedia, Hotwire, Orbitz, and Travelocity coming in just $3 more expensive. CheapOair was by far the most expensive option.

There is no one-stop shop to find the lowest prices on a flight every time. Most OTAs are in the same ballpark when it comes to price.

If you’ve got some flexibility, many of these sites can help you find the lowest-priced travel dates and destinations.

If you prefer a more traditional booking, start out with a travel search engine like Kayak or Google Flights to search all of the other sites. That will give you a good idea of the best website to use to save the most money on your next flight.

Are you a student? Don’t miss our guide to the best websites for cheap, discount student flights .

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For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here .

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best website to use to book the cheapest flights.

There is no single website that has the cheapest flights all of the time. Most of the travel search engines and online travel agencies all have similar pricing, however you can find some really nice deals when looking at opaque (hidden) bookings or vacation packages.

What is an opaque booking?

An opaque booking hides many of the flight details, including arrival and departure times and the operating airline, until your booking is complete. Many sites including Hotwire, Orbitz, and Travelocity offer these types of bookings.

Will I earn frequent flyer miles when I book through an online travel agency?

Generally, yes, you will still be able to earn frequent flyer miles on flights booked through an online travel agency. However, miles earned to qualify for elite status may be not be awarded unless you book directly through the airline’s website.

What are the best websites to buy cheap flights to Europe?

Your best bet would be to start with a travel search engine like Kayak or Google Flights. You will be able to see prices from many different websites in one place and you can track flight prices to help determine the best time to purchase tickets. Be sure to check out our guide to the best websites to book European vacation packages if you want to bundle your flight with a hotel and/or rental car.

Is it cheaper to book directly on the airline's website?

Often, an airline will offer the lowest prices through its own website. However, you can often save money booking through an online travel agency (OTA) that has the ability to combine flights from more than 1 airline into a single itinerary.

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About Katie Seemann

Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure, Forbes Advisor, and Fortune Recommends.

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How to find cheap flights, what is the best day to buy a plane ticket.

This just in! Airfares offered on Thursdays tend to be the cheapest, according to flight demand on Travelocity in 2021. Tuesday and Wednesday prices are also good, but you may want to prepare your budget if booking during the weekend, as data shows that is when prices are generally at their highest.

What are the cheapest days to fly?

Frequent travelers may already know this, but earlier in the week can be the cheapest time to fly. In 2021, flights departing on a Monday were generally the cheapest of the week, whereas you may pay a premium for weekend flights when demand is usually high. On average, tickets were most expensive for Saturday departures, so if you need to fly out on a weekend, you might look for deals ahead of time.

How far in advance can you book a flight?

Trying to figure out how early you should book your flight? It’s possible to start comparing international airfares on Travelocity up to 12 months in advance. However, it does depend on the carrier as not all airlines release their prices that far out. According to our 2021 flight demand trends, last minute planners can still bag a bargain with some of the cheapest fares appearing 0-2 weeks prior to their travel dates.

*According to flight demand on Travelocity.com from January to December 2021. Savings are subject to change based on departure location, date and destination.

Destination ideas to plan your next trip

Popular domestic flights.

• Flights to Las Vegas
• Flights to Orlando
• Flights to Honolulu
• Flights to Miami
• Flights to Maui
• Flights to Washington
• Flights to Chicago
• Flights to Minneapolis
• Flights to Newark
• Flights to New York
• Flights to Phoenix
• Flights to Los Angeles
• Flights to Portland
• Domestic Routes

Popular States in the US

• Cheap Flights to Florida
• Cheap Flights to Hawaii
• Cheap Flights to North Carolina
• Cheap Flights to California
• Cheap Flights to Arizona
• Cheap Flights to South Carolina
• Cheap Flights to Alaska
• Cheap Flights to San Diego
• Cheap Flights to New Jersey
• Cheap Flights to Colorado

Popular Airlines

• Cheap Delta Tickets
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• Cheap American Airlines Tickets
• Cheap Spirit Airlines Tickets
• Cheap United Tickets
• Cheap Volaris Tickets
• Cheap Philippine Airlines Tickets
• Cheap Alaska Airlines Tickets
• Cheap Frontier Airlines Tickets
• Cheap Hawaiian Airlines

Top Routes to Orlando

• Chicago (ORD) to Orlando (MCO)
• Philadelphia (PHL) to Orlando (MCO)
• New York (JFK) to Orlando (MCO)
• Detroit (DTW) to Orlando (MCO)
• Newark (EWR) to Orlando (MCO)
• Dallas (DFW) to Orlando (MCO)
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Orlando (MCO)
• Minneapolis (MSP) to Orlando (MCO)
• Baltimore (BWI) to Orlando (MCO)
• Raleigh (RDU) to Orlando (MCO)

Top Routes to Los Angeles

• Dallas (DFW) to Los Angeles (LAX)
• Atlanta (ATL) to Los Angeles (LAX)
• Chicago (ORD) to Los Angeles (LAX)
• New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX)
• Portland (PDX) to Los Angeles (LAX)
• Boston (BOS) to Los Angeles (LAX)
• Philadelphia (PHL) to Los Angeles (LAX)
• Newark (EWR) to Los Angeles (LAX)
• Detroit (DTW) to Los Angeles (LAX)
• Orlando (MCO) to Los Angeles (LAX)

Top Routes to Denver

• Minneapolis (MSP) to Denver (DEN)
• Dallas (DFW) to Denver (DEN)
• Philadelphia (PHL) to Denver (DEN)
• Atlanta (ATL) to Denver (DEN)
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Denver (DEN)
• Phoenix (PHX) to Denver (DEN)
• Boston (BOS) to Denver (DEN)
• Detroit (DTW) to Denver (DEN)
• Kansas City (MCI) to Denver (DEN)
• Orlando (MCO) to Denver (DEN)

Top Routes to Miami

• Philadelphia (PHL) to Miami (MIA)
• Newark (EWR) to Miami (MIA)
• New York (JFK) to Miami (MIA)
• (ATL) to Miami (MIA)
• Boston (BOS) to Miami (MIA)
• Detroit (DTW) to Miami (MIA)
• Dallas (DFW) to Miami (MIA)
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Miami (MIA)
• Chicago (ORD) to Miami (MIA)
• Raleigh (RDU) to Miami (MIA)

Top Routes to New York

• Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK)
• Orlando (MCO) to New York (JFK)
• Raleigh (RDU) to New York (JFK)
• Tampa (TPA) to New York (JFK)
• Charlotte (CLT) to New York (JFK)
• Phoenix (PHX) to New York (JFK)
• Kingston (KIN-Norman Manley Intl.) (KIN) to New York (JFK)
• Port of Spain (POS-Piarco Intl.) (POS) to New York (JFK)
• San Francisco (SFO) to New York (JFK)
• Atlanta (ATL) to New York (JFK)

Top Routes to Dallas

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Dallas (DFW)
• Chicago (ORD) to Dallas (DFW)
• Detroit (DTW) to Dallas (DFW)
• Minneapolis (MSP) to Dallas (DFW)
• Orlando (MCO) to Dallas (DFW)
• Atlanta (ATL) to Dallas (DFW)
• Raleigh (RDU) to Dallas (DFW)
• Phoenix (PHX) to Dallas (DFW)
• Houston (HOU) to Dallas (DFW)
• Newark (EWR) to Dallas (DFW)

Top Routes to Tampa

• Philadelphia (PHL) to Tampa (TPA)
• Detroit (DTW) to Tampa (TPA)
• Chicago (ORD) to Tampa (TPA)
• New York (JFK) to Tampa (TPA)
• Minneapolis (MSP) to Tampa (TPA)
• Newark (EWR) to Tampa (TPA)
• Boston (BOS) to Tampa (TPA)
• Dallas (DFW) to Tampa (TPA)
• Raleigh (RDU) to Tampa (TPA)
• Hartford (BDL) to Tampa (TPA)

Top Routes to Washington

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Washington (DCA)
• Orlando (MCO) to Washington (DCA)
• Boston (BOS) to Washington (DCA)
• Jacksonville (JAX) to Washington (DCA)
• Dallas (DFW) to Washington (DCA)
• Tampa (TPA) to Washington (DCA)
• Hartford (BDL) to Washington (DCA)
• Phoenix (PHX) to Washington (DCA)
• Detroit (DTW) to Washington (DCA)
• Charlotte (CLT) to Washington (DCA)

Top Routes to Atlanta

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Atlanta (ATL)
• Philadelphia (PHL) to Atlanta (ATL)
• New York (JFK) to Atlanta (ATL)
• Dallas (DFW) to Atlanta (ATL)
• Orlando (MCO) to Atlanta (ATL)
• Boston (BOS) to Atlanta (ATL)
• Baltimore (BWI) to Atlanta (ATL)
• Raleigh (RDU) to Atlanta (ATL)
• Newark (EWR) to Atlanta (ATL)
• Tampa (TPA) to Atlanta (ATL)

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The 6 Best Flight Search Sites for Finding Cheap Flights

See recent posts by Tracy Stewart

Flight-hunting for your next big trip? There are tons of booking sites, or online travel agencies (OTAs) competing for your attention, but not one of them is perfect. For starters, you won’t find the full scope of available flights in the search results of any of these sites. That’s because some airlines forbid them from listing their fares, most famously Southwest , though there are others.

And while many of these OTAs power their searches using the same fare data provided by ITA Software (now owned by Google), you can still find substantial discrepancies in results from one to the other. Another curveball? These sites rarely, if ever, take into account special promo-code deals that are sometimes offered exclusively for purchase directly from the airline’s site.

So while there’s no one-size-fits-all booking site, each has its pros and cons. You may find the set of features offered by one site meets your needs better than another. Here’s a rundown of the advantages (and disadvantages) of some of our fave booking sites.

The Best Cheap Airfare Search Sites for 2021

Part of the Kayak network, Danish-based metasearch site Momondo is a great option for international flight searches, thanks to its inclusion of lesser-known regional budget airlines combined with other carriers. Another major distinction, domestic searches include Southwest flights whereas other sites do not. You still have to click through to Southwest.com to see the price of those flights, but just to have it listed as an option is more than what other search sites offer.

Advantages: For a broader view of flight options, Momondo lists unusual routings the other sites tend to miss, including Southwest. Results can be filtered by flights offering wifi, red-eyes, and roundtrip “Mix & Match” itineraries consisting of one-ways on different airlines.

Disadvantages: The interface can feel a bit messy at times, with pop-ups and secondary searches that launch by default on sites like JustFly.com .

Related: The Two Cheapest Days of the Week to Fly

Skyscanner set the standard for metasearch sites by including route combinations from lesser-known carriers and a wide range of filters such as price, flight duration, connections, and, most recently, CO2 emissions . Similar to Google Flights, Skyscanner also allows for broad regions, such as Europe, which is useful when you’re open to going wherever is the cheapest.

Advantages: Aside from its incredibly thorough mix of flight options and filters, Skyscanner wins major points for being the first search site to list flights by CO2 emissions.

Disadvantages: Some users may feel uneasy over the fact that Skyscanner may direct you to book on a site you’ve never heard of, and can sometimes seem shady. Users assign these sites ratings based on price accuracy, refund policy, customer service, ease of booking, and “miscellaneous.” That’s somewhat reassuring, but then why bother listing a site with so-so ratings?

Related: What is Travel Hacking—and Should You Be Doing It?

CheapOair  

If you’ve been missing Priceline’s long gone Name-Your-Own-Price feature, OTA CheapOair’s Super Saver fares are a close substitution. There’s no bidding involved, but fares are discounted and the identity of the airline is only revealed after you purchase. Keep in mind that CheapOair tacks on a booking fee of $35.

Advantages: Aside from deals for CheapOair members and discounted Flight+Hotel bundles, CheapOAir has a pretty robust filter system for search results, including an option to "show alternate dates" to make sure you're traveling on the most optimal days.

Disadvantages: Blindly booking without knowing the airline in advance also means you won’t know what to expect in ancillary fees for baggage and seat selection. For families or anyone booking a trip with multiple passengers, those fees can really add up.

The granddaddy of flight metasearch sites, Kayak’s flexible search remains one of the better tools for finding a deal, even in today’s crowded field. Its explore map provides a quick glance at current deals to destinations around the globe, something that Google and Skyscanner also have but that Kayak offered first.

Advantages: Flight results can be trimmed down with the usual filter categories (price, duration, airline, alliance), but Kayak also allows users to filter by aircraft type.

Disadvantages: Kayak’s fares aren’t always up-to-date, and it’s not unusual to click on a great fare only to find that it expired hours ago.

Related: The 8 Cheapest Places to Fly This Fall

If you’re at the beginning stages of planning your next big vacation, with just a vague idea of where you’d like to travel and flexibility with travel dates, Travelzoo may be more your speed. Here, trips are searched broadly by weekend, season, or month. Results may not always be the cheapest available option but will turn up some great values, including discounted business class tickets.

Advantages: Travelzoo is excellent for churning out flight deals for trips you might not have known you wanted to take.

Disadvantages: Its loosey-goosey approach may not work for those who are searching for deals over a specific set of dates.

Google Flights

The Cadillac of flight metasearch, Google Flights offers a ton of easy-to-use features to narrow down the best available flight. Aside from basic filters like price, connections, and departure times, you can weed out flights based on carry-on bag allowances, alliances, and connecting airports. Google Flights will also show you if it’s cheaper to book segments of a trip separately or together if you so choose. View fares in calendar view, by grid or graph, and track fares by setting up alerts.

Advantages: It’s intuitive and easy to use. Unlike some search sites that bombard users with ads and pop-ups, Google Flights is clean and uncluttered, showing only what you need to find your flight. Indecisive travelers can map out the lowest available fares from your city to destinations across the globe, based on your trip parameters. You can also search for fares to general regions, like Europe, to see what city might be the best deal.

Disadvantages: Some may be overwhelmed by all the potential ways to view what is essentially the same information. Google Flights isn’t always as thorough in its results as you might expect it to be, often listing flight info without prices for some airlines, though that is usually due to issues with the airline.

Stay on top of breaking sales, fare drops, and more! Follow us on Twitter at @Airfarewatchdog . And make sure to sign up for FREE airfare alerts to be notified when prices drop.

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14 of the Best Websites to Book Cheap Flights & Airfare in 2024

Travel can be pricey if you’re not careful, especially when it comes to airfare costs. If you’re hoping to make your next trip more affordable, you may be looking for a way to score cheap flights. Not all flights are expensive. There are cheap flights out there, and you can find them—if you know the best places to look. We’ve done the research for you. These are some of the best websites to find and book cheap flights:

Table of Contents

Online Travel Agencies

Online travel agencies or OTAs allow you to search and book flights, hotels, rental cars, and vacation packages. They offer search tools to make it easier to find what you’re looking for when booking travel. While these tools are easy to use and they can save you time, it’s important to be aware of the pros and cons of using these tools to book cheap flights. 

Cons: You have to deal with the booking company’s customer service, and they may be less likely to help you when you need to make cancellations or changes. You may also be charged extra fees, which can add to the cost of your trip. Additionally, OTAs may prohibit you from canceling your flight within 24-hours of booking without paying a fee. In some cases, you may not be able to make changes or cancel at all. Keep this in mind when using these websites.

  Pros: OTAs can have their benefits. You may be able to find better flight deals when compared to booking directly with an airline. You can also utilize other money-saving tools like cash back rebate programs to save even more on your purchase.

The Vacationer Tip

Southwest Airlines doesn’t allow third parties to list and sell their flights. For this reason, you won’t see Southwest flight options when using OTAs. When using OTAs to search for cheap flights, it’s also worth checking the Southwest website directly to see if they offer a lower rate. Remember, Southwest includes two free checked bags with all ticket types.

1. CheapOair

Source: cheapoair.com

CheapOair makes it simple to search for hotels, airfare, rental cars, and activities. Travelers can also search for and bundle hotels and cars and hotels and flights. You can use a variety of search filters to narrow down flight results. CheapOair also offers fare alerts to notify you when fares drop for your journey. You can also take advantage of their Price Match Guarantee if you find a cheaper price for the exact flight and itinerary within 24 hours of booking. 

• Includes fare alerts to notify you when fares drop 
• Offers a price match guarantee 
• The calendar view shows pricing by date 
• Display baggage details 
• Displays aircraft details 
• You may be charged a booking fee
• Price match guarantee is only valid for up to 24 hours 
• Offers cancellation within 24 hours, but some bookings still charge a fee

Click Here to See Cheap Flight Deals at CheapOair

Screenshot: orbitz.com

Orbitz is an online travel booking website that allows you to search for hotels, flights, rental cars, vacation packages, cruises, and activities. It’s easy to perform a search, and you’ll be able to use various filters. You can also earn rewards for booking flights with their free rewards program Orbitz Rewards. While you can earn by booking flights, you can only redeem Orbucks for hotel stays. You’ll earn 1% for every $1 spent on flights.

• Earn 1% rewards on flight purchases through Orbitz Rewards 
• Has a calendar view to see pricing by date
• Offers a price assurance policy  
• Displays extra fees, like checked baggage fees 
• Outlines whether a ticket can be canceled or changed 

Cons: 

• You may be charged a booking fee 
• The price assurance policy is only valid for up to 24 hours after booking and not all flights will qualify

Note: Orbitz is owned by the same company as Expedia, Travelocity, and Hotwire.com. Because of this, the layout features may appear similar.

Click Here to See Cheap Flight Deals at Orbitz

3. Priceline

Screenshot: priceline.com

With Priceline , you can search for hotels, flights, cruises, and rental cars. You can also search for multiple travel needs at once. Priceline has search filters that make it easy to find what you need. One thing that makes Priceline unique is you can search Express Deals. These deals allow travelers to save up to 50% on the cost of their travels. 

The catch is when you book these airfare deals, you won’t know what airline you’re flying with or the exact flight times, or how many stops there are until after you book and pay. Priceline will show you the estimated time of day, baggage details, and how many potential layovers there will be (for example: 0 to 1). If you like the element of surprise, this could be a great way to save money on your next flight. This is known as opaque fare pricing.

• Offers cheaper “Express Deals”  
• You won’t know the airline or flight deals when booking Express Deals until after booking  
• You won’t know the exact timing when booking Express Deals until after booking 

Click Here to See Cheap Flight Deals at Priceline

Screenshot: hopper.com

Hopper is a mobile app that helps you find cheap airfare and hotel stays. At this time, you can search for and book hotels on the website, but flights are only available within the app. You’ll be shown the best dates to book for lower prices. You can also watch flights and set alerts to be notified when prices increase or decrease. You can book directly within the app. Hopper considers a variety of factors and scores flights. Some flights are marked as the cheapest, fastest, or best quality. These ratings can help you better decide which flight to book. 

• You can search one-way and round-trip journeys 
• Displays fare details, including baggage, seat selection, and boarding details
• Rates flights and labels the cheapest, fastest, and best quality flight options 
• Offers flight alert tools 
• Customer service is lacking 
• Not all flights can be canceled within 24 hours 
• At this time, flights can only be searched and viewed within the app, not the website

5. Booking.com

Screenshot: booking.com

When you think of the website Booking.com , you probably think of hotels. But Booking.com offers much more. You can use it to find hotels, flights, rental cars, airport taxis, and you can also reserve activities. Like other popular OTAs, you can narrow down your search results by using the many filters. Booking.com offers a calendar view to find cheaper travel dates. One thing to note is flight details are limited. Booking.com doesn’t clearly list baggage fees or ticket type details, such as whether a ticket can be easily canceled or refunded by the airline. 

• Calendar view shows pricing by date
• Easily filter by best, cheapest, and fastest flights 
• Baggage fees aren’t shown clearly
• Ticket type details aren’t shown clearly 

Click Here to See Cheap Flight Deals at Booking.com

6. Travelocity

Screenshot: travelocity.com

Travelocity also allows you to book flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, and activities. You’ll be able to use filters to narrow down search results. Similar to Expedia, Travelocity has a “flexible dates” button and calendar view with pricing. Extra fees are also clearly disclosed before booking. If aircraft type is important to you, Travelocity displays this information. 

• Offers a flexible dates search filter 
• The calendar view shows pricing by date
• Shows ticket flexibility rules 

Click Here to See Cheap Flight Deals at Travelocity

Screenshot: expedia.com

Expedia allows travelers to find and book hotels, flights, car rentals, cruises, tours and activities, and vacation packages. Like many other OTAs, you’re given plenty of tools to filter your search results. Expedia offers a “flexible dates” button to help you find lower prices. If you prefer, you can also view prices in the calendar view. If your dates are flexible, these tools may help you find a cheaper flight.

• Shows ticket flexibility details 

Click Here to See Cheap Flight Deals at Expedia

Screenshot: hotwire.com

With Hotwire , you can search for hotels, flights, and car rentals. You can also bundle and save. There are various filters available to find the flight that you want. Hotwire also offers Hot Rate flights, which are similar to surprise deals offered by Priceline. With Hot Rate fights, you’ll be shown the price upfront. But the exact time, number of stops, and the airline aren’t revealed until after you purchase your ticket. Hotwire has a low price guarantee valid on identical booking for up to 24 hours from booking. 

• Has a low price guarantee 
• When booking a Hot Rate flight, flight details and airline are not disclosed until after you book and pay

Click Here to See Cheap Flight Deals at Hotwire

9. Skiplagged

Screenshot: skiplagged.com

Skiplagged also makes it simple to find cheap flights. You can sort flight options by duration or price and can easily filter results. While you can’t view prices in a calendar view, Skiplagged does display a line graph with nearby travel dates. You can see which travel dates are the lowest with this feature. 

Skiplagged originally became famous by helping travelers save money through a process called “ skiplagging .” With this process, travelers book flights with layovers. Instead of completing the entire journey, travelers get off at the layover destination and abandon the rest of the trip. While this might offer savings for some journeys, this booking practice is not recommended. Airlines can and do catch on to this practice and you may be penalized. See our complete Skiplagging guide for additional information.

It’s best to use Skiplagged to find and book flights for full journeys that you plan to complete. 

• Displays fare details, including baggage, seat selection, and boarding details.
• Displays a line graph with nearby dates to see price trends.
• Shows ticket flexibility rules.
• Offers a price tracking tool.
• Skiplagged doesn’t offer a calendar view with pricing by date.
• Filters are not the best.
• There is real risk to booking skiplagging fares (loss of frequent flyer miles, financial penalties, lawsuits)
• When booking skiplagging fares, you must book only one-way tickets and can’t check bags.

Travel Aggregators

An aggregator takes information from many other websites. Travel aggregators do the work for you by gathering information from multiple websites and displaying it all in one place. Using this resource can save you time and help you find the cheapest airfare prices. It’s important to remember that you won’t be able to book your airfare directly on these sites. Instead, you can search for and locate cheap flights and then book them on the website they were originally found. After finding a flight through a travel aggregator, you might be sent directly to the airline or an OTA to make your booking. 

Southwest Airlines doesn’t allow third-parties to list and sell their flights. For this reason, you won’t see Southwest flight options when using travel aggregators. When using travel aggregators to search for cheap flights, it’s also worth searching the Southwest website directly to see if they offer a lower rate. Remember, Southwest includes two free checked bags with all ticket types.

10. Skyscanner

Screenshot: skyscanner.com

Skyscanner is a popular travel aggregator that includes a variety of filters and tools to help you find the best flight based on your needs. You can view the cheapest dates in calendar view and chart view. Skyscanner also offers price alert emails. Skyscanner lets you choose “everywhere” as your destination. With this feature, Skyscanner will search all destinations around the globe, and the search results will present you with the cheapest options first. For adventurers open to exploring new places, this can be a fantastic way to save money on airfare and see a new palace. See our guide on finding cheap flights with Skyscanner .

• Calendar and chart views show pricing by date
• Allows “everywhere” as a destination to find cheap destinations
• Shows ratings for booking websites to make it easier to decide where to book  
• Since it’s a search aggregator, you can’t use Skyscanner to book your flight—you’ll be directed to book off-site
• While solid, nothing sets it apart from other aggregators

Click Here to See Cheap Flight Deals at Skyscanner

11. Google Flights

Screenshot: google.com

Here at The Vacationer, we recommend using Google Flights to find cheap flights and to find cheap summer flights . Google offers a straightforward search tool with powerful filters. If you’re flexible on where you want to go, Google makes it easy to search an entire region (such as a whole continent), so you can decide where to go based on the cheapest airfare available. The price graph and date grid tools make it simple for those with flexible travel dates to find the cheapest dates to travel. You can also track prices and get email alerts when prices change. See our comprehensive How to Use Google Flights Guide .

• Offers price graph and date grid tools to find the cheapest dates
• Allows searching by region to find the most affordable destinations for your dates 
• Shows whether pricing is low, typical, or high 
• Since it’s a search aggregator, you can’t use Google Flights to book your flight—you’ll be directed to book off-site 
• All of the features and filters can be overwhelming

Screenshot: kayak.com

Kayak is another search aggregator to consider when searching for cheap flights. Like its competitors, you can use filters and tools to narrow down the search results to find what you need. You can also set up price alerts. If you want to let airfare prices decide where you’ll go, you can choose “anywhere” as your destination to find cheap flights. Further reading: see our complete guide to using Kayak to book cheap travel .

• Calendar view makes it easy to find the cheapest travel dates 
• Allows searching “anywhere” as a destination to find affordable destinations 
• Displays aircraft details
• Includes price alert tools
• Hacker Fares
• Since it’s a search aggregator, you can’t use Kayak to book your flight—you’ll be directed to book off-site 

Click Here to See Cheap Flight Deals at Kayak

13. momondo

Screenshot: momondo.com

momondo is another tool that can help you find cheap flights, and it includes many filters and tools to make it easier to find low-priced flights. With the calendar view, travelers can locate the cheapest dates to fly. A graph view is also shown, and it displays nearby travel dates to help find the best dates to fly. momondo also allows you to enter “anywhere” as a destination to find cheap flights worldwide. 

• Graph view displays nearby travel dates and indicates whether specific dates are more affordable or more expensive 
• Includes price alert tools 
• Since it’s a search aggregator, you can’t use momondo to book your flight—you’ll be directed to book off-site 

Click Here to See Cheap Flight Deals at momondo

14. TripAdvisor Flights

Screenshot: tripadvisor.com

Another option to consider is TripAdvisor Flights . This search aggregator offers filters and sorting tools to make searching easy. TripAdvisor gives travelers the option to compare pricing on other websites too. You can choose which websites to compare, and the results will load in a new tab or window. One thing to note is unlike other flight search tools, TripAdvisor Flights doesn’t offer a calendar view that displays prices by dates. Instead, you’ll need to plug in different dates to see available prices. 

• TripAdvisor Flights doesn’t offer a calendar view with pricing by date—Instead, travelers must manually search different dates 
• Since it’s a search aggregator, you can’t use TripAdvisor Flights to book your flight—you’ll be directed to book off-site 

Click Here to See Cheap Flight Deals at TripAdvisor

No. Not all airlines allow their fares to be listed on third-party websites. For example, you won’t see Southwest Airlines flights on OTAs or travel aggregator websites. You’ll need to search for Southwest flights directly on their website to compare flight costs. Additionally, Allegiant, Air China, China Eastern, and Thai Airways are absent from searches.

Yes, it’s possible to earn miles and elite status when booking through an OTA. However, there is no guarantee. In many cases, you’ll be able to earn miles. When making a reservation, check if there’s a place to add your frequent flyer number and airline loyalty membership details. You can also review the terms of each website to check their rules. If you want to be sure that you’ll earn miles, booking directly with the airline is best.

Online travel agencies or OTAs allow you to search for and book airfare directly on their website. They serve as a middleman between travelers and airlines. Travel aggregators, on the other hand, research and show you rates from across the internet. You can’t book directly with the aggregator. Instead, you’ll be directed to off-site booking options to buy your tickets. You might be sent directly to the airline or an OTA to make your booking.

When you book directly with the airline, it can be a lot easier to deal with customer service. If you need to cancel or change your flight, you’ll be dealing with the airline directly. You can also make sure that you’re able to earn miles for your flights and get the elite membership benefits that you deserve. You can also pay fewer fees by buying with the airline directly.

Some OTAs allow you to cancel without penalty within 24 hours of booking . However, not all do. You may be charged a fee to do so, or you may not have the option at all. Be sure to look into the rules before booking a flight with an OTA.

The best bet is to compare rates you find on an OTA or travel aggregator with the airline itself. Always be sure to compare apples to apples—the same flights, times, dates, and of course, ticket type. Taking the time to do this will make it possible for you to get the best rate. If it’s only a few dollars difference, it’s likely a smart idea to book directly with the airline.

The Expedia Group owns Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Hotwire. That is why each of those websites feels and looks the same.

The Vacationer’s Final Thoughts

Google Flights is our recommended tool to find the best flight deals , but the many OTAs and aggregators do have value. With some OTAs, you can even make your purchase through a cash back program to earn more. Our favorites are Rakuten and BeFrugal. See also our guides on the best websites for booking cheap hotels , the best websites for booking cheap car rentals , and the best websites for booking cheap cruises . You can also read our best days to book flights guide for information on the top days and times as well as our worst seats on a plane , best seats on a plane , and how to get through airport security quicker guides. Our guide on creating a travel budget helps you to figure out how much you can afford to spend on plane tickets. Finally, our best airline credit cards tutorial details the various card options to help you save on airfare and earn status.

Editorial Disclosure:   Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.  

By Natasha Gabrielle

Natasha has been a freelance writer since 2015. She specializes in writing travel and credit card rewards content. When not busy writing, she’s either dreaming up her next credit card rewards redemption or traveling the globe. Her goal is to encourage more people to experience the world around them while making smart money choices.

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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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Whether you’re looking for a cheap last-minute vacation or planning to go home for the holidays, you’ll want to know the best travel websites to use. And if you’re tired of wondering which sites are best for each part of your trip planning, we’ve got you covered. 

Here are some of the best travel sites we’ve found to help you bag bargains on airfares, lodging, car rentals and all your other travel needs. Best of all, almost all of the travel websites are free to use. Bon voyage! 

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Best websites to save on airfare

Keeping up with airfare prices has gotten easier thanks to sites like Google Flights and Kayak . To use them, just type in your home and destination airport, pick the flights that work best for you and then set an alert to track the price. For example, Google Flights will send you an e-mail showing if your tracked flight went up or down in price. Both sites also let you see which days are cheaper to fly in that month. Airfarewatchdog also lets you search flight deals.

If you haven’t decided on where exactly you want to go,  sign up for Going (formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights.) Their newsletter comes straight to your inbox with deals on domestic and international locations. Or you can follow Twitter handles such as @TheFlightDeal for flights, too.

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Best websites for flight information

Once your flight is booked, you’ll want to keep tabs on gate changes, layover information and more. FlightStats.com can help you plan a smooth trip by advising you on the best time of day to fly from a specific airport and which terminals to avoid when connecting flights. You can also view live updates of flight delays and sign up for free e-mail and phone alerts. Flightaware.com also tracks and predicts flight delays.

If you’re delayed by weather or some unforeseen event, it pays to act quickly. The TripIt Pro smartphone app ($49/year) will send you alerts about cancellations, delays or gate changes, sometimes even ahead of an airline announcement. Use it to locate alternate flights, find out when better seats are available, get fare refund notifications, track your rewards program points, and more.

Best websites to save on hotels

Hotels.com lets you search just one site for accommodations at hundreds of thousands of properties. Plus, its rewards program is simple: For every ten nights you spend at any combination of the program’s 500,000 member properties, you’ll earn a free night’s stay. As a member, you also unlock an average discount of 15% on select hotels. 

Similarly, HotelTonight is an app that lets users book hotels at low last-minute rates. Priceline Express Deals helps you find the best bargains, but there’s a catch. Priceline doesn’t tell you which hotel you’re booking until after you pay.

And try TripAdvisor.com for a detailed list of rated hotels (and excursions) that are close to your destination. The site links you to partner sites, such as Expedia and Travelocity for fulfillment. Click on the "check rates" button and select the site or sites you’d like to try — a new window with results will open for each partner.

Best websites to save on vacation rentals

Vacation rentals are an especially good value for groups because they generally offer more space and amenities for prices similar to or less than hotel rates, particularly if you look at it on a per-bed basis. Check out VRBO and Airbnb to find the perfect experience. For Marriott loyalists, Marriott Bonvoy lets you browse its 30-brand portfolio — which includes more than 2,000 private homes.

At the other end of the scale, if you don’t mind college-dorm-level amenities, check out Hostelworld.com , as a way to save money on vacation rental properties . The site lists 36,000 properties in 178 countries around the globe and includes reviews.

Best websites for cruises and vacation packages

At CruiseCompete.com , more than 500 travel agencies vie to give you the lowest prices for dates, ports and ships you specify, whether you’re booking well in advance or at the eleventh hour. You set up a CruiseCompete account, and they send you their best offers without ever seeing your personal information.

Kayak.com and Tripadvisor.com will also knit together vacation packages for you. Just type in your destination and travel dates to get the best prices.

Best websites to save on rental cars

Hotwire often offers the best-published deals on cars by collecting rates from its eight rental car company partners, including Alamo, Enterprise and Hertz. The site also offers "hot rates" from rental companies that aren't identified until after you’ve paid.

And while Hotwire does offer some good prepaid rental car deals, in certain international cities for the best overseas auto deals you should check out AutoEurope . It offers rentals at more than 20,000 locations worldwide, and customer service is available 24/7.

AutoSlash is also a good site to find rental deals, as it will apply the best coupons and discount codes to your rental and re-book your reservation if the system finds a better deal.

Best websites to save on international train tickets

Trains are often the fastest and cheapest way to travel within and between European countries. Our favorite for checking timetables and booking tickets on European train lines is RailEurope . But you might be able to catch better deals directly from European railways’ sites if you don’t get lost in translation — and make sure you have what you need to travel to Europe as an American!

Best websites for travel insurance

You never know when an emergency situation will spoil your travel plans. That's what travel insurance is for. But don't just go for the default options from agencies and travel providers. At Squaremouth , you can compare plans and prices from multiple insurance providers with just one search and narrow your search results by specifying the kind of coverage you need. Another option is InsureMyTrip.com .

Rivan joined Kiplinger on Leap Day 2016 as a reporter for Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. A Michigan native, she graduated from the University of Michigan in 2014 and from there freelanced as a local copy editor and proofreader, and served as a research assistant to a local Detroit journalist. Her work has been featured in the Ann Arbor Observer and Sage Business Researcher . She is currently assistant editor, personal finance at The Washington Post.

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The 8 Best Travel Package Sites for Booking a Cheap Vacation

Sarah Schlichter

Deputy Executive Editor Sarah Schlichter's idea of a perfect trip includes spotting exotic animals, hiking through pristine landscapes, exploring new neighborhoods on foot, and soaking up as much art as she can. She often attempts to recreate recipes from her international travels after she gets home (which has twice resulted in accidental kitchen fires—no humans or animals were harmed).

Sarah joined the SmarterTravel team in 2017 after more than a decade at the helm of IndependentTraveler.com. Sarah's practical travel advice has been featured in dozens of news outlets including the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Budget Travel, and Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio. Follow her on Twitter @TravelEditor .

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "A journal. Even years later, reading my notes from a trip can bring back incredibly vivid memories."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Road tripping and hiking through the rugged mountains of Patagonia."

Travel Motto: "'To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.'—Freya Stark"

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle. I get restless on long flights and like to be able to move around without disturbing anyone else."

Email Sarah at [email protected] .

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Booking a flight, hotel, and rental car together doesn’t just save you time—it can often save you money, too. But before you make such a significant purchase, it’s important to find the best travel package sites for booking your vacation.

I tested more than a dozen vacation package sites to see which ones had the lowest prices and best user experience. I discovered that many of the best vacation package websites allow you to book any combination of flight, hotel, and rental car, while others are more limited (flight + hotel is often the default). Fortunately, some sites will let you add a car onto a hotel+flight package, even if a car isn’t listed on the initial booking page.

It’s also important to compare the price of a vacation booked as a bundle to that same trip booked a la carte as separate components. Booking a package isn’t always cheaper, and sometimes you’ll get  better flight options to choose from if you search for your airfare separately. In some searches, I discovered that the flight options included by default with my vacation package had ridiculously long layovers or undesirable departure times (4:30 a.m., anyone?).

The Best Car Rental Booking Sites

Keep a sharp eye out for resort fees; many of the best vacation booking sites don’t count them in their initial per-person price estimate because they’re collected separately by the hotel, but they can drive up the final cost of your trip. Similarly, optional airline baggage fees can also increase your total bill, especially if you book a flight in basic economy, and some vacation package sites don’t disclose these fees as clearly as others.

Finally, it’s important to know that many of the best sites for vacation packages are owned by the same parent company, so you’ll often find similar inventory and prices from one to the next. Knowing which sites are mostly interchangeable can save you some research time.

The Best Travel Package Sites

We put them to the test to compare prices, inclusions, and more. The following are the best websites to book vacations, listed in no particular order. Scroll down for more in-depth analysis of each one.

• Expedia’s sister sites: Travelocity , Orbitz , and CheapTickets

CheapCaribbean.com

Funjet vacations.

This well-known site is one of the best travel package sites for a reason. Expedia offers a full complement of bundle options (flight/hotel, flight/car, hotel/car, and flight/hotel/car) as well as trips to just about every corner of the globe. It’s reliable when it comes to pricing, too: Expedia offered the lowest price in two of my five tests, and was cheaper than average in all but one test booking.

That said, the amount the site said I was saving on a given package didn’t always match up to the actual price difference when I added up the cost of the trip’s individual elements. In one of my test cases, it was actually cheaper to book my flight, hotel, and car separately. So take those supposed savings with a grain of salt (or even better, price out the components separately on your own to be sure you’re getting the best deal).

Expedia has plenty of useful filters to help you find what you need. You can sort hotels by price, distance from a city’s downtown, guest rating, package discount, and property class, while flight options can be filtered by general departure and arrival times (for example, morning vs. evening), airline, whether carry-on bags are included, and more. You can also sort flight options by duration (longest or shortest), price (highest or lowest), departure time (earliest or latest), and arrival time (earliest or latest). There’s also a map view so you can check out the location of each hotel.

Best Feature: The breadth of choice and consistency of pricing make Expedia perhaps the best site for vacation packages. You may not always get the absolute lowest price here, but chances are you’ll pay a fair rate and have plenty of options to choose from.

Check out Expedia

How Far in Advance Should You Book a Vacation Home?

Expedia’s Sister Sites: Travelocity, Orbitz, and CheapTickets

Many travelers don’t realize that Travelocity , Orbitz , and CheapTickets are all owned by Expedia Group, and typically have very similar inventory and pricing to Expedia. Each of these sites has similar layouts and filter options, too. Like Expedia, these three sites offer every possible vacation package combination involving a flight, hotel, and/or rental car.

It was rare for any of these sites to beat out Expedia’s prices in my tests; in general, the rates were identical (especially on Travelocity, where I didn’t find any deviations from Expedia) or a little bit higher. However, Orbitz and CheapTickets did offer slightly cheaper packages on one flight/car itinerary.

Because the pricing is so similar, it’s probably not worth searching all three of these sites in addition to Expedia unless a difference of a few dollars will make or break your travel budget.

Best Feature: Travelocity, Orbitz, and CheapTickets offer a checkbox on their main booking page to specify “I only need accommodations for part of my trip”—a feature that allows user to select a subset of their trip dates and search for travel packages only within that period. This feature is also reflected on Expedia’s search page.

Note: Expedia Group also owns Hotwire , which I didn’t find quite as reliable as the other three in my tests. For one itinerary, a nonstop flight that the other sites offered was not available when booking a Hotwire package (though it was available when booking a separate flight on Hotwire), and the pricing on some searches was a little higher than on the other sites.

Check out Expedia’s sister sites below:

Like Expedia and its partners, Priceline also offers every possible combination of flight, hotel, and rental car. Its search results pages are easy to navigate, with plenty of filter and sort options, plus a map view for hotels. Priceline offers numerous hotel options in popular vacation destinations at every price point.

One quirk to prepare for: Priceline’s flight result page lists departure and return flights together as a pair rather than letting you choose each one separately. This cuts down on the number of screens you have to click through but could mean extra scrolling while you try to find the exact two flights you want. Not all flights that are available when booking airfare separately on Priceline seem to be accessible to those booking a package—so it’s worth checking both.

Priceline was in the middle of the pack as far as pricing was concerned. It won one of my tests but was the most expensive option in two others; overall, it offered cheaper-than-average prices 60 percent of the time. To help you save money, the site offers “Express Deals” for rental cars, an opaque option in which you don’t know which rental car brand you’ll get until after you’ve booked. If you’d rather choose which company you’re renting from, standard car rentals are also available.

Best feature: Once you’ve selected your flight and rental car preferences, the site will keep them the same as you click through alternate hotel possibilities—saving you the hassle of having to select them over and over again.

Check out Priceline

What Happens If You Don’t Turn Your Phone to Airplane Mode?

As its name suggests, CheapCaribbean.com has a more limited scope than other sites on this list, but it’s worth checking if you’re planning a trip to the Caribbean, where package trips such as honeymoons are particularly popular. The site turned up cheaper-than-average prices for both of my Caribbean tests.

CheapCaribbean.com is one of the best vacation websites for all-inclusive packages. Once you’ve entered your trip information, you can also filter your results by “adults only,” “children’s amenities,” and “luxury.” Each hotel-specific page includes a list of active promotions, on-site activities, and the property’s Tripadvisor Traveler Rating.

In some ways CheapCaribbean.com isn’t quite as sophisticated as other travel package sites. There’s no map available to compare locations of the listed hotel options. Also annoying: not being able to group Houston’s two airports into a single search, though you can select “all airports” for New York City and Washington, D.C. But the affordable deals are worth a few snags, as long as you’re only looking for a flight/hotel package—there’s no option to add a car or create any other package combinations, though you can add travel insurance and transfers, at least for the destinations I checked.

Best Feature: The “ Deals of Fortune ,” or bookings where you know the destination but not the exact resort until about a week before the trip. This is a fun feature for value-conscious travelers who aren’t set on a particular island or property.

Check out Cheapcaribbean.com

A popular meta-search site, Kayak saves travelers time by searching many of the best travel package sites with a single click. Unfortunately, you can’t specify which elements of your trip you’d like to bundle; it searches flight + hotel by default. You can add a car later on some of its partner sites, but if you’re looking for a flight/car package, you’ll have to go elsewhere.

Results list the cheapest available packages from sites such as Priceline (Kayak’s sister company), Expedia, and CheapCaribbean.com. There’s a map view available, and the results page shows both air- and hotel-related filters to make it easy to find nonstop flights, free breakfast, or a specific hotel.

I found that the prices listed on Kayak didn’t always match the price on the source site when I clicked over to find the deal—a fairly common problem with meta-search sites. But I also occasionally discovered that I got a different price after clicking from Kayak than I did when searching the same itinerary from the booking site’s home page. For example, a Las Vegas package was $819 per person on Priceline when I clicked over from Kayak, but just $783 when I booked the same package from the Priceline home page. Another test offered the opposite result, with the price being cheaper after clicking from Kayak than it was when booking directly on Priceline. The lesson: Test both options when using a meta-search site.

Best Feature: Being able to search some of the best vacation booking sites in a single place is a major time saver. Though Kayak doesn’t always find you the lowest possible price, it’s a good place to start your search and get an idea of what’s out there.

Check out Kayak

The Essential Caribbean Packing List

The Funjet home page gives you a single package option: flight/hotel. However, you can work around this by adding a rental car on at the end of a flight/hotel or individual flight booking. There are plenty of sort options for your results, including price, hotel name, rating, points of interest, and location.

One annoyance: Similarly to CheapCarribbean.com, there is no option to select “all airports” for certain cities like Houston or Chicago. And Funjet’s prices aren’t the most consistent, ranking as the cheapest in one test and the most expensive in another. Still, the site is worth comparing to others when booking your vacation.

Best Feature: Rather than making you scour the web for coupons, Funjet automatically applies any relevant promo codes to your search.

Note: If you’re headed to the Caribbean, Central or South America, Hawaii, or Mexico, try your search on Funjet’s sister site, Apple Vacations . The destinations it covers are more limited than Funjet’s, but I found that the prices were often a little better. CheapCaribbean.com is also owned by the same parent company, Apple Leisure Group.

Check out Funjet

Book Your Stay With SmarterTravel Hotels

If you’re ready to book your next adventure but don’t want to commit to a prepackaged bundle, you can still save big by booking your hotel stay with SmarterTravel Hotels.

All of the products featured in this story were hand-selected by our travel editors. Some of the links featured in this story are affiliate links, and SmarterTravel may collect a commission (at no cost to you) if you shop through them. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Follow Sarah Schlichter on Twitter @TravelEditor for more travel tips and inspiration.

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We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

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These are the 10 best — and worst — US airlines of 2024, according to WalletHub

Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this article mischaracterized the flight cancellation rates for American and Southwest airlines. 

Choosing flights can be a challenge, especially when balancing affordable fares with the need for in-flight comfort, safety and peace of mind.

Personal finance company WalletHub recently issued a ranking that can serve as a guide for consumers. Its 2024 list of the best U.S. airlines compares nine large airlines and one regional carrier across 13 factors affecting affordability, reliability, comfort and safety.

Four airlines earned a score of 60 or higher: Alaska Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Alaska was named the best overall airline, as well as the second safest.

Here are highlights of WalletHub's best airlines of 2024 ranking.

Alaska Airlines is WalletHub's top airline of 2024

WalletHub awarded the highest overall score to Alaska Airlines, which earned a score of 68.07 out of a possible 100.

Its data showed Alaska had the second-best safety score, third-best comfort and reliability, and fourth-best affordability.

WalletHub's data predated the Jan. 5, 2024, incident where a door plug blew out on one of Alaska's Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets. Alaska's position at the top of the list despite that mishap speaks to Alaska's resilience and high quality, WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe said.

"Even though incidents like the door plug blowout can raise concerns, Alaska Airlines has demonstrated resilience and continues to prioritize safety and quality service, reinforcing its reputation as a top-performing carrier," Happe said.

Spirit is the most affordable airline; Delta, JetBlue are most comfortable

Spirit earned the best marks for affordability and safety.

Delta and JetBlue Airways were considered the best for comfort, with Delta also leading for reliability because of its low rates of cancellations, delays, mishandled luggage and denied boardings.

American and Southwest rank low on WalletHub's best airlines list

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, which collectively operate about 70% of the flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, were among the airlines with the lowest scores in WalletHub's analysis.

American ranked No. 8 with a score of 46.52. Southwest was last on the list, No. 10 with a score of 36.03, one spot below ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines.

Reliability issues such as canceled and delayed flights, mishandled baggage and denied boardings explain their low ranks, Happe said.

American, Southwest had the lowest percentage of canceled flights

WalletHub found American and Southwest had the lowest percentage of canceled flights relative to the number of regularly scheduled flights, citing 2023 flight data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. American's cancellation rate was 0.11%, while Southwest followed with 0.23%.

"Overall, both airlines performed well in minimizing flight cancellations, but ranked relatively lower in other categories leading to its overall ranking," WalletHub spokeswoman Diana Polk said.

During this period, Southwest suffered widespread disruptions during the 2022 Christmas and New Year's holidays, when glitches with its crew scheduling software combined with winter storms affecting their Chicago and Denver hubs resulted in 16,700 flight cancellations.

Southwest and other airlines have since improved their infrastructure and how they respond to weather disruptions to reduce delays and cancellations. Their work bore positive results, as there were no major issues during Thanksgiving and Christmas 2023.

WalletHub's best airlines of 2024

• Alaska Airlines (68.07 out of 100)
• SkyWest Airlines (65.96)
• Spirit Airlines (65.69)
• Delta Air Lines (61.56)
• United Airlines (51.96)
• JetBlue Airways (51.6)
• Hawaiian Airlines (48.3)
• American Airlines (46.52)
• Frontier Airlines (43.57)
• Southwest Airlines (36.03)

New flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport for 2024

Also of interest if you're planning to fly from Phoenix this year, airlines continue to add new routes , like Frontier Airlines' new cheap flights to Missoula, Montana , and Los Cabos, Mexico , and Breeze Airways' seasonal flights to Norfolk, Virginia .

Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at  [email protected] . Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:  @salerno_phx .

Support local journalism.   Subscribe to  azcentral.com  today.

More From Forbes

Ranked: the best airlines in 2024, according to a new report.

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What are the best airlines to fly? As the world emerges from the turbulence of the global pandemic, the airline industry is navigating a new landscape marked by shifting consumer expectations, evolving safety protocols and fluctuating economic conditions. Against this backdrop, travelers are weighing factors beyond mere ticket prices as they choose the best airlines to ensure a smooth and enjoyable travel experience.

The personal-finance website WalletHub has just announced its annual ranking of the best airlines . The study evaluates the nine largest national airlines in the United States and one regional carrier across a range of criteria, including reliability, safety, comfort and overall service quality, providing travelers with valuable insights to inform their decision-making process.

According to WalletHub, airline ticket prices had dropped significantly in 2023, but are back on the rise. However, costs are only part of the story. “WalletHub’s airline report is unique because it evaluates airlines beyond just ticket prices,” WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe told me in an interview. “While many reports prioritize affordability, WalletHub takes into account a wider range of factors that are important to travelers, such as comfort, safety, and overall service quality.” Compare this year’s list to 2023’s list of best airlines .

What are the best airlines in 2024? A new WalletHub report ranks the best U.S. airlines.

To rank the airlines for 2024, WalletHub analyzed 2023 flight data from the U.S. Department of Transportation and using a strategic methodology that compared key metrics, including cancellation, delays, baggage mishaps and in-flight comfort.

This year’s report unveils Alaska Airlines as the best airline in the U.S., earning the highest WalletHub score and beating out Delta Air Lines, which ranked first in 2023 and 2022. Alaska Airlines has ranked at the top of the list in a number of past WalletHub rankings, including 2021, 2019 , 2018 and 2017. A track record of consistent performance and a commitment to passenger satisfaction propelled Alaska Airlines back to the top of the list.

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“Alaska Airlines has regained the top position owing to its consistent and remarkable performance across multiple metrics,” says Happe. “The airline has exceeded expectations in in-flight comfort and cost, providing passengers with amenities such as ample legroom, a range of entertainment options and complimentary refreshments. Moreover, it has demonstrated robust safety measures, ranking first in safety-related categories, such as the number of injuries in aviation incidents and accidents. The airline’s balanced performance across various aspects of air travel has contributed to its return to the top position.”

Worth noting is that the flight data that WalletHub used to determine the rankings was from 2023 and did not account for some issues that Alaska Airlines has faced in 2024, including a January incident —where a door plug blew out mid-flight on a Boeing 737 Max plane—and a recent grounding , due to a tech issue with the airline’s system for calculating weight. “Such incidents could impact the airline’s rankings in 2025, particularly in categories pertaining to safety and reliability,” says Happe.

Following closely behind is Alaska Airlines SkyWest Airlines, followed by Spirit Airlines in the number three spot. “It’s quite surprising to see Spirit Airlines ranking so high on the list,” says Happe. “This is notable because Spirit is usually associated with budget travel and may not be considered as competing in terms of overall service quality. However, it seems that Spirit has made significant progress in areas beyond affordability, such as safety. This is evident by the airline being ranked as the safest airline, which is increasingly valued by travelers.”

Coming in last on the list for the third year in a row is Southwest Airlines. “Although the airline shows satisfactory performance in baggage and departure metrics such as cancelled flights and delays, it falls short in terms of mishandled baggage reports and denied boardings,” says Happe. “When considering in-flight comfort and cost, the airline ranks low in price affordability, which is a crucial factor for many travelers. Furthermore, Southwest’s safety scores are notably low compared to its competitors. Overall, it appears that Southwest needs to address its mishandled baggage and denied boarding issues, as well as work on improving its safety measures and price competitiveness, in order to improve its ranking.”

In addition to ranking the best airlines, WalletHub also reveals the most reliable airline, the most comfortable airline, the most affordable airline and the safest airline.

In terms of dependability, Delta Air Lines emerges as the most reliable airline for the second year in a row, due to the lowest rates of cancellations, delays, mishandled luggage and denied boardings. At the opposite end is Frontier, which is named the least reliable airline for the second year in a row, due to high levels of denied boardings and delayed flights. “Delta Airlines is widely regarded as the most dependable option when it comes to air travel. This is primarily because of their exceptional track record in minimizing cancellations, delays, denied boardings, and mishandled luggage,” says Happe. “However, Frontier Airlines falls short in most reliability metrics, although it does surpass Delta by securing the second overall rank for mishandled baggage.”

Delta Air Lines and JetBlue tied as the most comfortable airlines in the WalletHub rankings. According to WalletHub, they excelled by offering free amenities. The least comfortable airline? Frontier. “Delta Airlines and JetBlue Airways provide a comfortable flight experience with amenities such as Wi-Fi, extra legroom and complimentary snacks and beverages,” says Happe. “Frontier Airlines, on the other hand, does not offer the same level of comfort during the flight, as they lack many of the complimentary benefits provided by their competitors.

When it comes to safety, Spirit Airlines takes the win as the safest airline, boasting a commendable safety record including no fatalities and fewer than 15 injuries between 2018 and 2023. Alaska Airlines earns the runner-up position in terms of safety, highlighting its commitment to passenger well-being. Spirit Airlines has been recognized as the safest airline due to its superior performance in various safety metrics, including incident and accident rates,” says Happe. “On the other hand, Alaska Airlines, despite its good overall performance, has a lower ranking in safety metrics when compared to Spirit Airlines. Since 2018, Alaska Airlines has had a higher rate of incidents and accidents per total number of flights.”

The most affordable airline in 2024 is Spirit Airlines. At the opposite end of the list is American Airlines, which is named the most expensive airline. “Spirit Airlines is the most affordable airline, offering budget-friendly options” says Happe. “Conversely, American Airlines lags behind its competitors in affordability based on our study.”

Read on for the overall list of the best airlines in America, as well as the other key findings.

Alaska Airlines was named the best airline in the U.S. in a new report.

Overall Rankings: The Best Airlines in the U.S.

• Alaska Airlines
• SkyWest Airlines
• Spirit Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• United Airlines
• JetBlue Airways
• Hawaiian Airlines
• American Airlines
• Frontier Airlines
• Southwest Airlines

Delta Air Lines was named the most reliable airline.

The Most Reliable Airlines in the U.S.

Delta Air Lines was named the most comfortable airline.

The Most Comfortable Airlines in the U.S.

*Note that SkyWest is not represented in this list because it is a regional carrier and serves other major airlines, which may dictate what amenities are provided.

• Delta Air Lines (tie)
• JetBlue Airways (tie)

Spirit ranked as the safest airline in the U.S.

The Safest Airlines in the U.S.

Spirit Airlines was named the most affordable airline.

The Most Affordable Airlines in the U.S.

More from forbes.

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FinanceBuzz

8 Proven Ways To Find Cheaper Airline Ticket Prices

Posted: November 26, 2023 | Last updated: April 7, 2024

Hopping online to purchase airline tickets can cause quite a shock due to their high prices. 

Earn Points and Miles: Find the best travel credit card for nearly free travel

Thanks to the cost of gas, staffing issues, and pilot shortages, it’s not cheap to travel by plane. That’s why we’re here to help you get the best deals on airline tickets so you can start traveling more . 

Here are the best tips to help you find the most affordable airplane tickets for the times you just need to get away.

Use a travel or airline credit card

One easy way to save on airline tickets is to purchase them with the best travel credit cards, which give you points for each dollar you spend. 

The best airline credit cards offer similar rewards programs, allowing you to acquire miles that you can save up and redeem for discounted or even free flights.

Some credit cards will also offer free companion tickets. Just be sure that you don’t carry a balance on either type of credit card, as interest rates and annual fees can negate any benefits you rack up if you let debt build up without paying it off in a timely manner.

Get expert advice on making more money - sent straight to your inbox.

Plan your trip far in advance

You may have heard that there are magical times when you can book a flight to snag the best possible price on airline tickets. 

However, that might not always be the case, especially considering the fluctuating price of oil and general market uncertainty.

To that end, it’s best to book your flight as soon as you know you will be taking one. Travel experts suggest booking your summer trip in winter, and vice versa. Think of it like buying a bathing suit when it’s chilly or a parka when it’s beach weather.

Book on certain days and fly at unpopular times

You’d be hard-pressed to find a person who delights at getting up at 3 a.m. for an early flight or boarding at 11 p.m. for a red-eye flight. However, the discomfort and exhaustion of traveling at the crack of dawn or the dead of night might translate into some serious savings for you.

Also, purchasing your airline tickets on certain days of the week, like Thursdays, and planning to depart on a Wednesday can chip away at the cost as well. 

Although the savings may not be huge, any savings helps. So yes, the days and times you both book and fly can spare your wallet.

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Add a connecting flight

Let’s face it, booking a direct flight is certainly the easiest and most hassle-free way to go about air travel. Your bag travels with you in one plane, you don’t have to run through the airport to catch a connection and delays will stress you out far less this way.

However, you’re likely to pay more for a direct route. If you want to save some cash, then book a connecting flight. 

You do run the risk of arriving at your connecting flight a sweaty mess and will have to add extra time to your overall travel schedule, but you’re going to the same place in the end.

Book with a budget airline

We’ve all heard the horror stories of flying on a budget airline, but take those with a grain of salt. The reason? These airlines have grown significantly in recent years, and have quadrupled in size since the last time oil prices were soaring into oblivion.

Additionally, more people are turning to budget airlines to book their flights, from a mere 4% of travelers in 2008 to 15%, and growing today.

You do have to be mindful of hidden fees on budget airlines, including for carry-ons and such, but in the end, you can wind up with serious savings.

Sign up for sites like Travelzoo

If you have flexibility about when and where you want to travel, you can find some of the best airline tickets and travel packages around on sites like Travelzoo.

This company has an entire staff of experts who spend their time scouring the web to find the best deals on a wide variety of trips, from quick beach getaways in Mexico to bucket list trips like African safaris, eco getaways to the Galapagos Islands, and more.

All you need to do to access these deals is sign up with your email address, and each week you will get a list of their top 20 picks, with cheap airfare included in many of them.

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Book with a site like Expedia

Another way you can save money on plane tickets is by booking your flight on sites like Expedia. For one, you can often (but not always) find cheaper flights on Expedia as opposed to booking them directly with a carrier. 

Additionally, if you’re willing to bundle your flight, hotel, and car rental, you’ll often find that doing so comes out cheaper than the sum of its parts.

Expedia also offers last-minute deals similar to Travelzoo if you’re up for a spontaneous adventure. Just be sure to compare shops, and read the cancellation policies very carefully. Finally, Expedia also offers reward programs, but airline and credit card reward programs tend to be more lucrative.

Use a travel agency

This last bit of advice might sound like a relic from a time gone by, but booking with a travel agency can still save you money, even in the era of oodles of travel websites. 

For one reason, they have expertise that can be exceptionally valuable, especially if you are planning a complicated trip to a place you’ve never been, like South Asia or the Middle East. 

Additionally, you often don’t have to pay extra to utilize an agent, as their compensation comes from the hotels and services they work with. Just inquire about fees up front, and prepare to save.

Bottom line

While flying in general is more expensive lately, especially if you have to book at the last minute, it’s not impossible to score some savings. This is especially true if you do a little recognizance beforehand.

If possible, consider saving money on travel by taking the train if you can reach your destination, as those fares can be far cheaper. You can see more of the country, too. 

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Here are the best airlines for 2024, according to wallethub.

SAN DIEGO ( FOX 5/KUSI ) – Price isn’t everything, a new analysis ranking the best U.S. airlines for 2024 found.

The study, published Thursday by finance company WalletHub , looked at the nine largest airlines plus one regional carrier, SkyWest. It compared the carriers based on not only affordability but also safety, comfort and more.

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Delta Air Lines was ranked the most reliable for having the lowest rate of canceled and delayed flights, mishandled luggage and denied boardings, according to WalletHub.

Delta also tied with JetBlue Airways for being the most comfortable. They scored the most points for in-flight experience, including free Wi-Fi, snacks and beverages as well as extra legroom.

Spirit Airlines nabbed the spot for “Most Affordable Airline,” with flights costing about 5.23 cents per mile in 2024. Frontier Airlines ranked second at just over six cents a mile.

Spirit also topped the list in terms of safety, followed by Alaska Airlines and Frontier. This was based on a low number of incidents and accidents per 100,000 flight operations.

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Wallethub used data from the U.S. Department of Transportation to create its scoring framework. The study allocated points based on three major categories: baggage and departures, in-flight comfort and cost, and safety. For example, WalletHub collected the number of reported flight cancellations by each airline, excluding anything related to weather, security and the National Aviation System.

It also looked at the number of flights delayed by more than 15 minutes and divided that by the number of regularly scheduled flights to get the delayed flight percentage for each airline.

Other metrics included Wi-Fi availability, complimentary refreshments and operational mishaps. You can find more details about how the airlines were scored here .

Alaska Airlines was ranked “Best Airline Overall” with a score of 68.07 out of 100, followed by SkyWest (65.69) and Spirit (61.56). Frontier and Southwest Airlines scored the lowest on the list at 43.57 and 36.03 respectively.

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