The Best Sites for Booking Cheap Flights: An Honest Comparison
The moment you type "cheap flights" into Google, millions of results and dozens of sites come up, and each one says it's the cheapest. So where should you really look? This is an honest comparison based on a published test by Which?, the British consumer protection organization, which compared the big flight booking sites and rated them one by one.
An important point before we start
There's a difference between two types of sites, and you need to know it: comparison sites like Skyscanner, Google Flights and Kayak collect prices and show them to you, and they are not the ones selling the ticket. Selling sites, such as airline websites and online travel agencies, are the ones that actually sell.
The right way: search on a comparison site, and book with the airline or a trusted seller.
Skyscanner
In the Which? test it got the highest rating among comparison sites: 81 percent, and the title of "Recommended Provider". The reviewers praised ease of use, the filters and the tidy interface.
And the feature they didn't find on any other comparison site they tested: Skyscanner shows user ratings for the selling sites that appear in the results, so you can tell whether a very cheap seller is trustworthy before you click. In the same test it also got full marks for price transparency and accuracy.
Google Flights
It scored 79 percent in the same test, and it shows the largest number of booking options among the sites tested. Its standout feature is that it tells you whether the price in front of you is low, typical or high for the season, so you know right away whether it's a good time to buy. It also got full marks for price transparency and accuracy.
Its main weakness according to the test: it doesn't show ratings for the selling sites, so you don't know the reputation of the seller you're being sent to.
Kayak and Momondo
In the same test: Momondo scored 75 percent and Kayak 73 percent, and on ease of use Momondo got four stars and Kayak three.
And the cheapest isn't always the best
In the same Which? test there is a clear example: the site Gotogate got four stars out of five for cheap prices, meaning it really does find low prices, but it got one star for ease of use and an overall score of 49 percent. So a site that finds you a good price can be a pain to deal with, and that is exactly the difference between "cheapest result" and "best site".
The warning you need to know
The same Which? test points out a serious issue: comparison sites don't check the quality of the selling sites that appear on them. You might be shown a cheap price from an unknown selling site, and if something changes or the flight is cancelled, you find out that dealing with it is hard.
The golden rule according to their recommendation: use the comparison site to find the cheapest route and the cheapest date, then go and book on the airline's own website. Often the final price with the airline is better once you add bags and seats, and any problem with the flight is solved with the airline directly.
The short version
Skyscanner or Google Flights for searching and the price calendar, a price alert if it's still early, and a check of the final price on the airline's site before paying. That way you've covered every angle.
And if that's too much work for you, we do it for you every day and post only the deals we've checked and that were worth it.
Today's deals on the deals page: yalanusafer.com/en/deals/
