Should I book flights through third-party sites or direct with the airline?
Third-party sites often offer slightly lower prices, but they make getting help a nightmare if your flight gets cancelled or changed. This leaves you weighing modest upfront savings against the risk of being stranded without reliable customer support when things go wrong.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Booking exclusively directly through the airline website
- 2Comparing the total final cost including baggage, seats, and hidden fees before purchasing
- 3Using online travel agencies only when redeeming credit card rewards, points, or securing significant material savings
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
r/travel2 people · September 2026
“had too many issues with OTAs being crap in the event things go wrong, so generally avoid them”source ↗
t90fan · r/travel · 1 upvotes
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Which WordPress booking plugin actually works without hidden fees?
- 3How to book multi destination flights without getting stuck at immigration
- 3Why am I being double charged or seeing higher prices when booking flights?
- 4Is a short international layover enough time to clear customs?
- 4Hotel says they don't have my third-party booking
- 2Is it rude to skip a distant wedding when travel and money are tight?