Possible silly question about Skyscanner

Sometimes you have to change airports e.g. in London to get a really cheap fare. (I would do it as only a last resort, personally - the other options would have to be a lot worse.) Maybe that's what they mean.

If you wonder, look up the same flight (if you can find it) on Google Flights.

I would always opt for buying tickets directly from the airlines, if possible, unless I'm saving a ton of money. I wouldn't be buying my airline tickets this early for next May, either, unless I got an amazing deal.

That makes sense, thanks. It is definitely worth knowing that you don't have to change airports, so that phrase really is saying something.

I always book directly with airlines too, but I like to get a sense of prices and schedules using Momondo, Skyscanner, etc.

And yes, I'm probably jumping the gun a bit on getting tickets. Wife and I did not go to Europe this summer for the first time in a few years, and we really are missing it. So now I'm micro-planning for next May. Will probably hold off on the air tickets for a couple of months anyway.

There are also some flights that will require a change of airport in New York, LGA to JFK or LGA to EWR.

There's no savings in the world that I'd do a change of airport unless I was flying in the previous day. Flying sucks enough and I don't want any extra stress.

I agree. Whoever created the Icelandair ticketing software has an odd sense of humor--the site once had me changing airports in Washington DC at rush hour, with just a two-hour window. Just luck that I happened to notice.

I noticed the airport connection had a wiki stating that because the ticketing is through different airlines, you may need to collect your bags and recheck them vs having them checked to your final destination. The wiki makes it clear that the traveler is responsible to make sure there is enough time to complete the recheck and travel to the associated gate. Meaning that if your flight is late, the connecting flight likely will not know or wait for you.

That is true, kellis. I have also noticed though that some ticket sellers listed in SkyScanner offer to "protect" you - that is, if your first flight is late and you miss the second one, they would be responsible for getting you on a later flight. I assume that would apply even with a change in airports. That is, if they schedule a flight with a four hour layover plus an airport change and your first flight lands three hours late, they'd get you on the next connecting flight.

But as said above, I'd only change airports as an absolute last resort. I might do it to save $500. I certainly wouldn't do it to save $50.

If it is self-connect, it means you will have to collect your luggage and do a full check-in with the second airline. The low-cost airlines are edging towards more co-operation with other carriers but they have a long way to go.