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Buy direct from Air Berlin or Other website

Posted by (Miami, FL, United States) on

I have been tracking airfares on both Hipmunk and Air Berlin for months. I would go into AB's website and see plenty of seats left. I was finally ready to book on Sunday and notice all the flights I wanted have been removed from their website. I still see the schedule I want in Hipmunk, Cheapoair, expedia, etc. I called Air Berlin and they said they took the schedule I wanted off the internet (cancelled flight). However, the agent said to keep checking the site but said if I really wanted the schedule I could book directly with him on the phone. Is this normal? Are they just trying to sell other flights first before this schedule?

Should I book through one of the other websites and if so, what are the most reliable sites for booking airfare? I have heard a few people say they had problems with overbooking when going through web agents.

thanks,
David

Posted by
2269 posts

Did you try clearing your cookies? Someone else had something similar with another flight situation a while back and after she cleared her cookies, the flight was back. Just something to check.
Patty

Posted by
1221 posts

I tend to sort the airfare search web sites into two groups- the ones that are a third party that book the ticket for you (Expedia, cheapoair, etc.) and the ones that are effectively a pass through to the airline's own web site (Hipmunk, Skyscanner). I prefer using the pass through web sites- if you need to make a change to the ticket or have an irregular operations situation (weather, mechanical problems) then the airline pretty much has to work with you directly to fix the problem instead of possibly sending you back to the third party travel web site to fix the issue and getting caught in an infinite loop of 'it's the other guy's problem'. You're also more likely to get frequent flyer miles (and get them to credit properly) with the pass through sites.

Posted by
1446 posts

For regional flights, I always book direct with the airline. I use other sites, such as SkyScanner as search tools, simply for finding the flight and fare I want.

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