Comparing flight prices is the best solution to find the cheapest offers to manage your vacation budget. But which flight comparison site should you rely on? We explain everything that will help you save money.
Are you planning to fly in the next few months or weeks, but you’re not sure which airline to choose to get the best deal? Wondering if the date or time of departure will affect the price offered? The answer to these questions and many more is ideal to run your own simulation with a flight comparator. Many online travel agencies offer this, and we’ll introduce some of them here.
5 websites to book flights
Reference: Trip.com
Trip.com, a world-renowned name in the field of online travel booking, offers tens of thousands of flights from over 510 airlines. You can visit the site and run different simulations to find the cheapest airfares.
But there is an even more advantageous offer – it concerns the possibility of simultaneously securing a place to live. In fact, if you combine a flight and a hotel when doing a simulation, it is easy to see that the combined offer is very interesting.
Popular site LastMinute.com
LastMinute, a site that has built a solid reputation for last-minute offers, no longer offers them, but it’s entirely possible to use the platform to book travel months in advance by simply selecting your flights.
If you’re looking to quickly book flights and hotel accommodations on the LastMinute homepage, you can click Flights in the top menu to access a comparison site dedicated to flights. This online travel agency works with many airlines.
Holiday Specialists: Logitravel
The Logitravel platform offers a huge range of options when it comes to travel bookings: you can find offers on tours and cruises as well as all-inclusive short stays.
Among the proposals related to transport solutions there is not only an air flight comparator but also a rather unusual rail travel comparator. Logitravel therefore establishes itself as a very complete online travel agency, which not only allows you to find air tickets at the best price, but also takes part in the entire planning of your holiday.
Ovoyage website
The Ôvoyages booking platform focuses on all-inclusive stays: offers may include flights, all-inclusive accommodations, and even specific activities.
You can book tours, cruises or club stays such as the Ôclub under the Ôvoyages brand. However, you’ll definitely need to combine this with an accommodation offer, as the site doesn’t strictly speaking act as a flight comparison site. However, the package prices are particularly attractive so it might be worth considering.
Crossroads Travel
The Carrefour Voyages site displays a very wide range of stays in France and abroad, and also offers a flight comparison tool that takes into account hundreds of different airlines.
If you only want to compare flight prices, select “Flights” from the options offered under “Trip type”. We also have some interesting accommodation suggestions, so be sure to take a look. In addition, Carrefour Voyages has many agencies throughout France in case you need advice.
Have you heard of the Google Flight Comparison Tool?
When it comes to flight comparison tools, Google Flights is one of the benchmarks currently on the market. Launched by Google in 2011, the service allows travelers around the world to compare and book flights to thousands of destinations across hundreds of airlines.
Google Flights is responsible for aggregating data from many airlines and online travel agencies to present the most comprehensive overview on the Internet. The interface is intuitive and offers multiple options. You can even program alerts to be notified if the price of a flight you are interested in drops.
How do I set flexible dates for Google Flights?
The flexible dates option has evolved within Google Flights, but it’s still available and allows you to easily compare flight prices based on your departure date. Here’s how to use it:
- Go to Google Flights. Open Google Flights in your browser.
- Enter your destination: Enter your destination and departure airport.
- Click in the date field. Once you select your departure or return date, a pop-up window will appear with a calendar. Select your preferred departure and return dates based on availability and start your search.
- Use price calendars and charts. The results page gives you access to two links. The first one is the calendar, which gives you a very clear overview of the price fluctuations over the period around the specified date. The price chart gives you the same information in a chart form: the lower the bar, the lower the price. This makes it easier for you to choose your holiday dates.
3 tips for using Google Flights effectively
- Use the (Explore) option. If you’re flexible about where you want to go, Google Flights’ Explore option can help you find affordable destinations. Enter your departure airport and you’ll see fares to a variety of destinations around the world.
- Enable price alerts: Google Flights lets you track real-time flight prices. If you enable price alerts, you’ll receive email notifications when the price of a flight you’re interested in drops. Acting at the right time can mean big savings.
- Compare stopover and non-stop options. Flights with stopovers are often much cheaper than direct flights, and Google Flights offers a very effective filter that lets you compare the prices of direct and indirect flights. If you don’t mind extending your trip a bit, you can also get a lower ticket price.
Flight comparison tools: what you need to know
If you’re new to the world of flight comparators, here’s some information to help you get started while avoiding any unpleasant surprises.
What are the opinions of Lastmite on the internet?
LastMinute, a leading player in the online travel booking field, has a fairly good reputation on the Internet. Positive reviews highlight affordable prices and significant discounts in many destinations. In addition, the user interface is said to be intuitive and easy to use.
However, there are some criticisms that regularly come up. These relate in particular to customer service that can be slow to respond and certain problems that can arise if you need to change a reservation. It is better to be careful and minimize the risk of having to call customer service. Artist: Last Minute.
Is an Opodo Prime account worth it?
Opodo Prime is a subscription program offered by the Opodo platform. Its purpose is to offer very significant discounts on flights, hotels, entire stays and car rentals. More than 300 euros in promo codes are offered to members every month. In addition, it also offers an extended stay guarantee, allowing you to cancel your flight booking at any time and block your stay dates for just 1 euro.
An annual Opodo Prime subscription costs 69.99 euros, while the Prime Plus offer, which gives you the right to make reservations for four friends or family members (even if they don’t travel together), costs 89.99 euros. In practice, regular travelers will amortize the annual cost of the subscription very quickly and will see a profit within two or three trips. For those who don’t travel often, the subscription may not be so appealing.
Is Trip.com the best flight comparison site?
Trip.com is a great flight comparison site It offers tens of thousands of different flights from over 510 airlines. It therefore offers a very complete and extensive flight comparison tool. However, it would probably be an exaggeration to say that it is the best, as there are many other competing platforms that offer a good service. The ideal thing is to carry out your own tests.
Is it better to plan your trip yourself or hire a travel agent?
This question is completely valid, since planning a trip on your own, especially an international trip, takes a lot of time, but you should weigh the pros and cons before choosing a travel agency.
The pros and cons of planning your own trip
Among the advantages is that you have total control over every aspect of your trip: flight dates and times, accommodation, outings, timings, etc. In addition, arranging everything yourself gives you the opportunity to compare prices and choose the cheapest offer you wish. Thus, the experience you get is totally personalized and your budget is under control.
The drawbacks revolve around two factors: the time spent planning everything and the potential risk of making a mistake in choosing a hotel or tour. This is where the expertise of a travel agency can help.
The pros and cons of using a travel agency
The first advantage of this solution is that it saves you time: you explain your desired trip to the agent in charge of your file, and they take care of everything. It also avoids stress and the risk of mistakes, since you can trust the agency’s expertise. Finally, if you run into any issues on the ground, travel agencies usually offer support online or over the phone.
Finally, the disadvantage of travel agencies is that they are more expensive than doing it yourself. This is normal, as they have administrative costs. In addition, they may offer tours and bookings that are not very flexible in terms of dates, so in this case you will have to adjust it to your convenience.
This content was created by experts from the BFMTV Shopping team. Prices displayed are for informational purposes only and are subject to change. BFMTV may receive compensation when BFMTV readers make purchases through links integrated in this article.