Whichbudget and flylc vs. kayak.com

I prefer kayak because it gives you the airfares/schedules for all airlines (at least the ones that allow kayak to search their databases)not just the discount companies; like www.whichbudget.com. The national carriers have gotten very competitive with their pricing over the years, and usually offer flights at more convenient times and use "real" airports, so its always worth it to compare all the carriers.

That makes perfect sense! Thanks Michael.

I continue to use both. As Michael noted, Kayak is great for getting a look at the regular airlines and MOST discount carriers. But whichbudget will list several discount airlines that don't show up on Kayak. Kayak is also good for the "can't get there from here" problem. By routing through on one major airline, you'll avoid the discount airline problem of being late on one leg of your trip and missing out completely on the subsequent leg(s).

Another excellent search engine is www.skyscanner.com. It lists both budget and national carriers and it shows both direct flights and flights with connections.

Everyone has given great advice. Let me add one thing...once you find the flights you want, go to the airline's website and see if they will match the flight or even offer it to you cheaper.

I like to book directly with the airline for one reason: If there's a problem, the airline will have to deal with it. If I book through an online agency, the airline can tell you to talk to the agency if there's a problem.