expedia booking experience

[gta1216]

im looking at airline tickets at expedia, but just wanted to hear comments from others first.

weve always booked directly on airline websites, so not sure what to expect from expedia. when we book directly with airline website, e-tickets are sent to our email, and usually no charge for baggage check-in. only a small fee (and tip) for curbside check-in and baggage check-in at curbside. i was looking at the additional fees on expedia and looks like most airlines charge 20 per flight for the 1st checked in baggage. and food is additional?!

anyone have comments/feedbacks to share abt your experience with booking on expedia?

[golfer29]

I don't see any advantage of booking with Expedia over the airline directly unless you are booking a package or something. The baggage fees and food charges will be the same regardless of which one you use. Most airlines charge for food these days unless you're traveling internationally.

[Pete_Coach]

I have used Expedia for booking hotels and car but never for air travel. It is just easier to deal with the carrier than a middle man in this case. Expedia never had any better prices than the carrier themselves.

[dickybird]

Used expedia for flights a few times.
Booked a return flight for the end of this month with them to Fort Lauderdale
No problems, although check there fares often as they change all the time.
You also might want to check out Orbitz prices also.
They have a guerantee if someone else book the flight for less they will give you a refund.
I just booked Victoria to Barcelona for February two return airfare for under $2000 Can.
Could not find it cheaper elswhere.

[Jucius Maximus]

I find that expedia is good for comparison shopping.
I booked a flight with them once and it was no problem.

[Pete00]

Booked over 7+ trips in the past with Expedia (Canada, US, Asia) and have had absolutely no problems!

[gilboman]

I have used Expedia for booking hotels and car but never for air travel. It is just easier to deal with the carrier than a middle man in this case. Expedia never had any better prices than the carrier themselves.

yup, prices are no better than on airline's site. But sometimes expedia helps you book multisegment flights on different airlines and its just easier that way than going to each airline's site and looking.

e.g. YYZ-ORD-LAS, i may travel on different airlines for each segment because its cheapest as per expedia. I think in instances like this, it maybe better/(atleast easier) to use expedia.

[novi]

Booked twice and both times Expedia had better price than West Jet.

[{PolarBear}]

weve always booked directly on airline websites, so not sure what to expect from expedia. when we book directly with airline website, e-tickets are sent to our email, and usually no charge for baggage check-in. only a small fee (and tip) for curbside check-in and baggage check-in at curbside. i was looking at the additional fees on expedia and looks like most airlines charge 20 per flight for the 1st checked in baggage. and food is additional?!

IThe baggage fees and food charges will be the same regardless of which one you use. Most airlines charge for food these days unless you're traveling internationally.

:arrowu: As stated by golfer29, you don't pay higher baggage or food fees with Expedia vs. booking directly with an airline - they are just stating that those fees could apply depending on the airline.

yup, prices are no better than on airline's site. But sometimes expedia helps you book multisegment flights on different airlines and its just easier that way than going to each airline's site and looking.

e.g. YYZ-ORD-LAS, i may travel on different airlines for each segment because its cheapest as per expedia. I think in instances like this, it maybe better/(atleast easier) to use expedia.

I also found Expedia better and cheaper for certain multisegment flights I've booked. I also had a case when trying to book with BA where the web site was charging a booking fee and Expedia wasn't, making it cheaper.

Expedia is pretty useless though if you actually need help. I had to make a flight change one time, and the agent was trying to charge me a cancellation fee instead of a change fee, then ended up misquoting, then overcharging, and finally I got a refund. If I'd booked directly with the airline (which in this case, I couldn't have done), the change would have been simple.

[lagos]

also do not forget that sometimes airlines show no avail but expedia shows availability. It's strange but it happened to me more than one occasion.

expedia prices are really good if you book a hotel with. I give you my latest trip as an example:

Book on AA.com for a flight from YYZ-LAX: $612 USD all taxes in, flight only price.

Book on expedia with the same AA YYZ-LAX flight and 3 nights of hotel: $580CAD all taxes and fees in, this price is for both air and hotel.

[Ducky]

i have never found a good price on expedia...ever. period.

whether it's package, airfare, hotel, etc

also do not forget that sometimes airlines show no avail but expedia shows availability. It's strange but it happened to me more than one occasion.

expedia prices are really good if you book a hotel with. I give you my latest trip as an example:

Book on AA.com for a flight from YYZ-LAX: $612 USD all taxes in, flight only price.

Book on expedia with the same AA YYZ-LAX flight and 3 nights of hotel: $580CAD all taxes and fees in, this price is for both air and hotel.

[lagos]

i have never found a good price on expedia...ever. period.

whether it's package, airfare, hotel, etc

I guess it depends on location. Which locations have you searched for?

[pintobean]

I've found that Expedia is great for finding the airline with the cheapest fares...but their service can also really burn you and make you feel like an idiot :mad:

Earlier today I was looking for fares from Toronto to Orlando for the weekend before Christmas. I found a roundtrip fare on Expedia that was $273.51. I called my wife and sister-in-law to confirm that the dates and times were ok with them, but neither one of them answered, so I went back to work and decided to book the flights when I got home. Lo and behold, I got home, and the exact same roundtrip flight has now gone up to $938 :eek: I am so mad right now that I could break something...

[Ducky]

vegas, boston, chicago, new york, orlando, etc...

anything i find on expedia, i always find a better deal on orbitz....even though it's in US dollars.

plus there are orbitz coupons floating on the net....

plus rebate site...gcr

I guess it depends on location. Which locations have you searched for?

[trader37]

Does Orbitz allow Canadian credit cards? I tried booking with them two years ago and they didn't.

[davethegr8]

Does Orbitz allow Canadian credit cards? I tried booking with them two years ago and they didn't.

You bet they do. I have been using them for the past 2 years and have had no problems with a Canadian Credit Card. They are by far the cheapest for package deals when using the discount codes (ENTERTAIN200 gives you $200 off 7 night packages to Mexico/Carribean until the end of the next year). As for price comparison for airfares, I use www.kayak.com to compare flight prices but will book directly with the airlines when booking flight only.

[Beachdown]

I've used Expedia, both U.S. and Canadian sites. Never had a problem.

And for the people who say the price isn't cheaper for flights, I just bought a round trip ticket to Barbados for $375 at Expedia's U.S. site (Air Canada flight). That price wasn't available anywhere else, including AC's website.

[albion]

Yeah, I booked through Expedia too, flight was a little bit cheaper then the AC site, got a package with hotel.
Was cheaper to book through them, then to book directly with the hotel, other times, it was cheaper to book separately, have even did one way fares, to get what I wanted, cheaper.
Pays to research the different sites, that's for sure!

[nonrefundable]

I'm planning a trip to Australia. Now if I wanted to book flights within Australia with Expedia, do I need to do it through the Canadian website or can I create an account on Expedia Australia and book through there?

[canadiankiwi]

I've booked 6 trips in the last 4 years with them and never had a problem. It ranged from just flights for 1 person to packages (hotel+flight) for 6 people. No issues.
One time, we were late for one connecting flight but the airline found seats on the next flight, no problems even though we booked through Expedia (it was the airline's fault for the delay though).

I usually compare directly with the airline & then go through Expedia, Travelocity, etc to see which is cheapest. Usually it's Expedia or Travelocity if it's to the US but I found it was cheaper for Europe/Asia if I go to with the airline directly. Baggage fees are enforced by the airline and it will be charged regardless of how the flight was booked.

Overall, I've used Expedia many times and never had a problem. I've only called customer service once and she was quite helpful.