Switched from booking flights through third party sites to direct airline sites after a mess in Denver last spring

After a blizzard cancelled my connecting flight and the third party site took 6 hours on hold while the airline rebooked someone in line next to me in 10 minutes, I will never go back to using those aggregators for anything time sensitive.

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.gavin2mo ago

Kind of sounds like an overreaction to one bad experience. Third party sites are fine for most people most of the time. Airlines mess up bookings all the time whether you book direct or through a third party. That blizzard would have screwed anyone, not just you. Direct airline customer service isn't exactly known for being quick either. Maybe you just got lucky with that one agent.

riverowens20d ago

Notice how this kind of thinking shows up everywhere now (like with warranty scams or rental cars). People get burned once, assume the whole system is rigged, and act like their one story proves everything. But here's the thing: a blizzard is a blizzard, no matter who you booked through. Third party sites have saved me hundreds over the years and only let me down once, which is about the same rate as booking direct.

morganhayes2mo ago

Agree honestly. People act like booking direct is some kind of magic protection. It's not. Airlines mess up direct bookings constantly too. One time I booked direct and still got bumped because they overbooked. Its just part of flying now.