July 10, 2009

My family travels a lot, but we don’t have a favorite airline. My parents are huge proponents of Orbitz, a discount flight broker. In my experience, I’ve found that they usually always have the cheapest (or usually the same) prices as anyone else. So, I have booked several flights using them myself, and always had a positive experience.

However, last summer, when booking my flight to Alaska, I noticed that on Expedia, I could get the same price, but have my miles flown on a partner airline applied to my primary mileage account. I know you can probably do this anyways, but I figured if I could do it at the time of booking, then it is that much easier, and I don’t have to go through any extra hassle. The tickets were the same cost, so I booked with Expedia.

Fast forward one year to June 2009. I was booking my flights to Alaska for this summer, and once again found that Expedia and Orbitz had the same price. So, once again, since the tickets I was looking at were for a partner airline, I decided to book using Expedia.

Now, 19 days after booking, I noticed that my exact same itinerary is now $41 cheaper! I hopped on Expedia to check out their “Best Price Guarantee“, and to my dismay I read:

Best Price Guarantee. In the unlikely event that you find a lower rate on Expedia.com or on another U.S.-based website within 24 hours of booking with Expedia.com, we will credit or refund to you the difference. In addition, we will give you a fifty dollar ($50.00) coupon good on a future booking of an Expedia Special Rate hotel or air plus hotel package on Expedia.com.

Expedia’s price guarantee is only good for 24 hours! I went over to check the Orbitz guarantee, and found the following:

If Orbitz finds, after you have booked your flight, that another Orbitz customer subsequently books the same flight(s), meaning the same dates/times of travel, on the same airline, with the same flight numbers, for the same passenger type, itinerary, cabin, and subject to the same fare refundability, or other restrictions, that is at least $5 lower than the airfare you booked on Orbitz.com, Orbitz will refund you the difference up to a maximum of $250.00 per ticket.
The confirmed airfare and itinerary you booked on Orbitz.com will be compared to the same itineraries subsequently booked on Orbitz.com for drops in fare up until the day you fly. Fares are compared with like fare restrictions, so for example, if an unrestricted airfare is booked on Orbitz.com, it will not qualify for the Orbitz Price Assurance if compared to a restricted airfare found on the Orbitz Web site.

Not only does Orbitz match/refund the difference until the day you fly, they do it automatically! I don’t have to call them back to be sure that I’m getting the best price.

In Expedia’s defense, their price guarantee applies to “a lower rate on Expedia.com or on another U.S.-based website”, whereas the “Orbitz Price Assurance does not apply to lower airfares that are available on other Web sites”. This still isn’t too big of a sell though, because as I said earlier, Orbitz usually has as good a price as anyone else anyways.

I called Expedia and pointed out that my itinerary was now cheaper, but the polite gentleman I spoke with couldn’t do anything for me, since it has been more than 24 hours. He did offer me a $50 hotel coupon to use with Expedia anytime within a year. When I pointed out that even at this point Orbitz would refund the difference, and that I was considering using them in the future, he made it a $100 coupon. So, in the unlikely event that I book a hotel or hotel/air package, I will have $100 off using Expedia. But for my future air reservations, I think I’m going to go back to Orbitz.

Travel

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