I have used both AirGorilla and AirlineConsolidator with good results. Any consolidator will not be able to offer much on simple routes well in advance. I find that consolidators have been significantly cheaper under the following circumstances: Within a 12 week window, 8 weeks better, at that time they are trying to dump any blocks they have. Odd routes: I needed to fly into Amsterdam and out of Manchester, England. Problem is, Manchester is a BA/AA airport, and NW/KLM are best for Amsterdam. They were able to book me on those airlines, even though they are not partners at a deep discount to most search engines best price. If you missed a "deal"; Delta had very low fares to Cancun for January, but only a short window in December to purchase, I missed it by a day. Airline Consolidators had bought up seats, so I was able to get the deal still, for a small fee. Basically consolidators are just travel agencies, but they take the risk of buying blocks of tickets or making deals with airlines to fill seats. So there is no more risk in working with them than any agent, but the payoff is hit or miss depending on what they have. Try a variety of consolidators to find the right match.
