[time_to_smile]

I worked for a travel startup for a bit and after that experience I only book airfare and hotels directly.

Specifically with airfare, a 3rd party is not allowed to sell for less than the airline directly, so it's always better options since it is much easier to reschedule/cancel/refund directly with the airline. Plus, if you travel a lot, it is better to find a favorite airline and stick to them. Any bonus "features" offered by a 3rd party I can assure you are either not in your interest or actually a scam.

I don't know if the pricing rules applies to hotels, but I'd rather pay extra then get to the hotel and be screwed over last minute because some 3rd party is trying something "clever" behind the scenes and it turns out it ruins your travel plans.

[coldcode]

Most contracts between an OTA and a hotel chain included language requiring no lower price when I worked for an OTA 10 years ago. Not sure about today, but would not surprise me that nothing changed. OTA's are useful as a comparison but you are always better off going direct. Other than TripAdvisor, most OTA brands are either owned by Expedia or Priceline, but they never let you know.

[dividedbyzero]

> Specifically with airfare, a 3rd party is not allowed to sell for less than the airline directly, so it's always better options since it is much easier to reschedule/cancel/refund directly with the airline.

The last couple of flights I booked with Star Alliance were the same price on Lufthansa.com etc., but I got free checked luggage on booking.com/expedia and just hand luggage on lh.com.

[scarface74]

Also, if you have to change anything with the airline and you book through a third party, you either have to deal with the third party (and a painful phone call for Priceline) or they charge an extra fee like American.