In trying to look at flights from Atlanta to Berlin, I can find flights that seem to be great prices and the flights that would work best for us from Kayak and Orbitz. I understand that kayak is a search engine only and will take me directly to the site that's offering the flights and you can buy directly from the Orbitz but what I don't understand is what I'm finding on delta's website. The flights and price we really like are doing connections thru JFK both ways. However when I do the same dates and even pick the same outbound flight that I find at kayak and orbitz the return flights are all thru Amsterdam or Amsterdam and 1 US city. We never get the option of the flights thru JFK only. Is there a trick to getting the connecting flight back thru JFK on the return?
Has anyone experienced any problems with buying tickets thru Orbitz? I've never used them except to look at prices and don't know how reliable they are.
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
If you find the itinerary you want on Orbitz or Kayak, and you can't find the corresponding flights on the airline's website, the best thing to do is CALL the airline and give the agent the exact flight information that you found on the travel website. If the itinerary exists or can be constructed, they'll book it for you. I've had the same situation, and the problem is that the airlines' computers don't always construct all the same itineraries as the travel websites. But the agent has always been able to duplicate what I wanted.
Posted by
OP
Atlanta, GA
380 posts
Thanks Tom. Another question, will the airline charge an additional fee to make that reservation through the agent?
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
I don't think so.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5850 posts
First, are you really sure that you want to connect through JFK? Amsterdam Schipol is a much better airport for connections and it is far more pleasant. On the Delta website, you might try selecting the "advanced booking" option. On this page it asks you to choose either price or schedule. Choose schedule. I've generally found that when you choose price you will see fewer options than when you choose schedule. You also might try entering the approximate times (not just date) for the flights that you saw on kayak. Sometimes by entering more specific info in your search, you get the flights that you see on kayak. I don't know about Delta, but some airlines do charge you a fee when you book through their phone line.
Posted by
Fort Myers, FL, USA
264 posts
Orbitz is a great travel company! They give excellent service and offer things I never would have thought of on my own. When you buy an airline ticket, Orbitz gives you immediate access to log in directly to your airline of choice to review seats, order meals, etc. After you have used them a couple of times they promote you to "special" service status and do even more for you. Also, one of the things I really love is that the site keeps a record of every flight, every hotel, every extra, and every car I've rented for the last 15 years. I highly recommend them!
Posted by
OP
Atlanta, GA
380 posts
Lara - I know I'm not a fan of JFK either but my husband would rather connect in the states coming home than Europe. Plus all the flights that connected somewhere other than JFK had extremely long layovers coming back. We'll do it no problem going but coming back seems to be the issue with price and flight schedules with what we've seen so far. I will definetely try the advanced booking. I really wish they had kept the website the way it was, I always had better luck before it was changed. Thanks for the tips everyone, I'll see what I can find.