Companies like Hotwire.com, Priceline.com, Flycheap.com, Cheaptickets.com and others are real, ligitimate
companies that can save you money! The air carriers sell seats that they believe will be empty regardless of promotions
to these companies at a bulk rate. These companies can in turn pass the savings on to you.
The only problem is that you have to be flexible for the best rates. Actually this is the
case even if you call the Airlines directly.
You really should be careful and read the terms and conditions of each site because some of these
sites won't disclose which carrier you will be booked on until after you have paid for the airfare. Try to use
the companies that will let you know which air carriers the fares apply to. Also, if you have any concerns later, you
must call the company you purchased the ticket from. Some programs such as Expedia.com
give you a choice of carriers, allows changes and once you purchase the ticket, you make all changes through the Airline directly!
Nonetheless...
When you use some of these companies, you waive your right to make changes or cancel. Once
you have purchased a ticket, you must fly on that date and at the time printed on the ticket. The only exceptions are
for bad weather conditions and the air carrier will accomodate you on the next available flight. If you are running
late for a flight, the air carrier will accomodate you on the next flight only. Think about it! There
are people out there that would abuse the system all the time to actually travel at the time they really want. When
you really think about it, this is why we have to pay for changes to our airline tickets; because of people who have a dying
Mother everytime they travel etc. This may sound cruel, but I can't count the number of times I have nearly cried with
someone on the phone about their situation and later found out my employer had a record on them of the same stories over and
over again!
So...
If you are sure of the date you are traveling, and are sure that nothing will change that , GO FOR IT ! Otherwise, you can loose your money.
