Online Booking Deserves Another Look

Airline booking fees charged by Travelocity, Orbitz and Expedia are on vacation through May -- and that's giving those of us who had avoided those sites a reason to reconsider.

The fees generally run around $7 per transaction, just enough to send many travelers to airline Web sites. But in April, first Expedia (the biggest online travel agent) and then Travelocity and Orbitz suspended airline booking fees on tickets bought through May 31. Priceline.com had already dropped airline booking fees almost two years earlier.

Airlines have aimed to get customers to book directly on their Web sites with frequent-flier bonus miles for booking directly, and guarantees that fares elsewhere will be no lower than those offered directly by the airline. Southwest Airlines Co. does not offer tickets on the travel sites at all.

The travel web sites aren't saying what they'll do about the fees after May 31. They've taken pains to call the waiver temporary.

Airfare expert Terry Trippler said that there are still advantages to booking flights directly with an airline, including the chance for bonus frequent-flier miles for using its Web site. If something goes wrong on the trip, it can be easier to deal directly with the airline, as well, he said. For complicated trips (such as those with multiple legs or multiple hotel stays) he advises using a flesh-and-blood travel agent.

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