Orbitz or Direct with Delta?

[BroncosFan2010]

Looking at flights on Delta for our April 2011 cruise. Price is the same whether we book on Delta or through Orbitz (which has price assurance, should the price drop). What would you do?? It would be nice to have the price assurance and it would be nice to book direct with Delta to have direct communication with them should something happen.

[Globaliser]

If you search here for discussion about Orbitz's price assurance, you'll see that the general view is that it's a pretty useless marketing gimmick that will hardly ever pay out. IIRC, it doesn't pay just because the price drops; some other Orbitz customer has to have booked the exact same flights that you did.

[ab0si]

Read the "price assurance" carefully. It does not apply simply because a carrier lowers its fares for the flight. It only applies if another party books the same class of ticket with the same restrictions on the same flight through Orbitz.

 

Orbirz's terms and conditions would seem (although this is far from clear) to be void (example of a typical Delta change) if the carrier changes the flight number.

[BroncosFan2010]

Thanks for the replies. We have not made a decision yet as to what we will do, maybe we will give it another day or so and see if there is a trend in the price dropping.

[FlyerTalker]

Thanks for the replies. We have not made a decision yet as to what we will do, maybe we will give it another day or so and see if there is a trend in the price dropping.

Or if there is a trend in the price increasing.

 

Do you have any reason to believe it will drop? Are you satisfied with the price being offered?

 

Given the answers to those questions, why aren't you buying now?

[Ashland]

Book direct will DL..I'm not a fan of the middleman..not necessary at all in this case...;)

[kenish]

Everyone has hit the nail on the head.

 

First of all, the price assurance is extremely thin. You must find someone on the *same* itenerary and fare code to qualify. What are you going to do, walk down the cabin polling 150 strangers and asking to see their tickets? That's why the "assurance" can be given out, there is very little chance anyone will qualify.

 

Read various travel websites' "troubleshooter" columns. When things go amok, the result is often buck-passing and finger-pointing between the airline, hotel, etc. and the booking site, leaving the traveler caught in the middle with no solution.

[BroncosFan2010]

We are booking direct with Delta. Thanks everyone.

[sunshine nana]

You made the right decision. Two times when there was a canceled flight (one mechanical and one the second volcanoe problem in Europe), the people who had booked direct as we had were accomodated before the people who had booked with on line companies on Delta.