We decided to do a price check to see our value against other discounted flight sites. For this comparison, we went to a well known discounted flight site, priceline. We wanted to see just how we compared. To make all things equal, we checked a flight leaving next weekend (the 19th). We chose a round trip with a return date of the 22nd. We chose two major airports on both sites. For our departure, we chose DFW in Dallas, Texas. And for our arrival we chose ATL in Atlanta, Georgia. We decided to make this for two adults.
When we checked priceline, at first the fare seemed cheaper. We’ll go into an explanation in a second. Priceline’s cheapest ticket for two adults is $568.42. This isn’t a bad price at all. When we checked that against our prices, militaryfares’ cheapest was $609.44. So, at first glance, it seems that priceline might be the way to go. But let’s take a deeper look.
At the top of our price quote, we have a note that says “Includes all taxes and fees”. Priceline didn’t have this. So, I decided to check on some of the fees on priceline. With their cheapest flight, I clicked on “Baggage Fees”. A pop-up appeared, letting me know how much taking bags would cost. Assuming one checked bag per person, and one carry-on between the two of them, that’s an additional $95 if you make sure to check the bags during online check in, and the cost goes up if you don’t. At the counter, the cost would be $140.
For the sake of this example, let’s say that you included the bags at the earliest possible time. With two checked bags and one carry on, priceline’s cost just became $663.42. Or $53.98 more expensive than militaryfares’ cost.
It’s worth mentioning that both of these were with the same airline, as well. Spirit Airlines. If we check out the Delta prices, they become even more disparate. Our cost is $964.30, while priceline’s is $1002.40 plus bags.
So, keep us in mind if you want to save on flights. Feel free to check out our competitors, but just make sure you get all the information first. What looks like a better deal, may in fact not be.
Robert J Presswood, Jr – SGT, USA (Ret)
