Many airlines have a best fare guarantee of some kind on their sites. Simply put, it tells you that if you find a lower fare on another site for the same destination and same fare class, they’ll match it and give you something (usually a voucher).
But as Grant Martin of Gadling tells us, “caveat emptor.” You have to make sure that the date, flights, flight numbers and booking class are all the same.
This all takes place in the past tense, of course. Assuming you’ve already purchased the more expensive ticket, you must subsequently file a claim with that airline telling them where you found the lower fare. The airlines will do everything in their power to make sure that something’s not the same. Additionally, they usually will have 24 hours to investigate your claim.
Since inventory and prices change multiple times a day, it’s possible that the investigating agent won’t be able to get the fare you were able to come up with it, thus invalidating your claim. Also, third-party sites such as Orbitz “make it difficult…for you to find the fare class in which you’re booked, so passengers erroneously think that fares are in the same bucket.”
If you’re within the 24-hour return window, you might be able to return the ticket (if it’s non-refundable) and book at the original site (if the fare still exists), but the airlines are counting you on to not even bother.
I think Martin has a great suggestion: “Book via the third party Web site and take the hours and headache put into getting your fare equalized to the park and play with your kids.”
