Updated Nov 1, 2026 7:37 AM EST · By Emma Jackob
No single online travel agency (OTA) is the best website to book flights for every trip. Google Flights alone compares fares from over 300 airlines, travel agencies and aggregators. What matters is the total price, how likely your plans are to change, and who you'll call if they do. We'd compare fares on a search site, then buy from the seller you trust.
An OTA is a website or app that sells you tickets on many airlines, often with hotels and car rentals too. Expedia and Priceline are OTAs. A flight search site, also called metasearch, only compares prices and then sends you to an airline or an OTA to buy. Google Flights, KAYAK and Skyscanner work this way.
The difference matters most after you pay: the company that sold you the ticket is the one you deal with when something changes. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) says that when you buy through a travel agency, you aren't buying from the airline, and you should contact the agency first if problems come up.
| Where you book | Examples | Sells you the ticket? | Who you contact if plans change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airline website or app | Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines | Yes | The airline |
| Online travel agency (OTA) | Expedia, Priceline, Orbitz, Flyingscanner | Yes | The travel agency first |
| Flight search site (metasearch) | Google Flights, KAYAK, Skyscanner | No, it sends you to an airline or OTA | Whichever company you bought from |
Google says Google Flights works with over 300 airlines, online travel agencies and aggregators. Skyscanner says it doesn't sell anything itself.
Flyingscanner is an OTA too: we sell tickets on many airlines, and our advisors handle changes and refunds for bookings made with us. You should know where we stand.
Many brands that look like competitors belong to the same two companies, which list their brands in their own published materials.
| Company | Brands it owns (selection) |
|---|---|
| Expedia Group | Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, Orbitz, Travelocity, ebookers, Wotif, and a majority stake in trivago |
| Booking Holdings | Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, KAYAK, Rentalcars.com, OpenTable, Cheapflights, momondo, HotelsCombined |
From Expedia Group's annual report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Booking Holdings website.
Our advice: checking three sister sites is closer to checking one company than three. For a fair comparison, look at one site from each group, a search site and the airline itself.
Neither is reliably cheaper. Airlines sell the same fares on their own websites and through agencies, so the same fare often shows up on both. Experienced travelers on forums such as FlyerTalk say some trips that mix airlines are easier to buy through an agency, because one airline's website may not sell them.
US rules help you compare. Airlines and ticket sellers must advertise the total price, including government taxes, fees and mandatory airline surcharges, and can't add extras such as seats or insurance unless you choose them. Compare that total, then add the bag and seat fees you'll pay.
If a little-known site is far cheaper than everyone else, check the fare type, the bag allowance and who will charge your card before you pay.
Related: First checked bag fees on six US airlines, compared
Your rights against the airline don't disappear, but a few rules work differently depending on who sold you the ticket.
| Situation | Booked with the airline | Booked with an OTA |
|---|---|---|
| Changing your mind within 24 hours | Free cancellation or a 24-hour hold, if you booked at least 7 days before departure | The DOT 24-hour rule doesn't apply; check the agency's own policy |
| Airline cancels or significantly changes your flight | Refund owed if you turn down the alternative | The company that charged your card owes the refund, often the agency |
| How fast a refund must arrive | 7 business days for card payments, 20 calendar days for other payments | The same deadlines |
| Changes you choose to make | Airline fare rules and fees | Airline fare rules and fees, plus any agency fee |
| Who to call first | The airline | The agency; Delta Air Lines, for example, sends agency customers back to the agency |
A significant change includes a departure or arrival more than 3 hours off for a domestic flight or 6 hours for an international one, a different airport, more connections, or a lower cabin. Rules change, so check transportation.gov before you rely on them.
The company that owes your refund is the merchant of record: the name on your card statement. An agency may be allowed to keep a booking fee it disclosed when you paid.
Related: Delta's baggage policy and bag fees
Run through these checks before you pay, whichever site you use:
Our advice: if the agency is only a few dollars cheaper and your plans might change, book direct. If it's much cheaper, or sells a trip the airline won't, it can be the better buy, as long as you know who to call.
Yes, in the sense that both are long-running brands of large, publicly listed companies. Priceline belongs to Booking Holdings, and Expedia to Expedia Group, which files annual reports with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
"Legit" only tells you the company is real, not how your booking will go when an airline changes the schedule. We'd run the checklist above on every site, big or small, including ours.
If you booked with us, our advisors handle this, and we don't charge a service fee to pursue a claim when the airline cancels or changes your flight. Our change and refund fees are on our Refund and Cancellation Policy page.
Related: Our Refund and Cancellation Policy
About this page
Written and fact-checked by the Flyingscanner team, last updated 1 November 2026. The facts in this post were checked on 1 November 2026. Airline fees and rules change, so confirm the details for your own trip with the airline before you pay. About Flyingscanner
Mark Flyingscanner as a preferred source and our travel guides are more likely to show up in your Google results.
