Expedia.com: Easy to use, and Inexpensive too!
Written: Apr 05 '02 (Updated May 16 '05)
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When searching for information on travel, one web site that stands out among the others is Expedia.com. This on- line travel service offers quick flight searches, competitive pricing, and several other services to assist the traveler in finding the best deals.
How Does This Service Work?:
Expedia.com is a full- service travel web site. When you first logon to the site, you will notice that there is a flight search function right at the top part of the screen. Off to the right of the flight search, and beneath it, you will see special deals on travel packages, hotel stays, car rentals, etc.
Searching for a flight is easy and efficient. You begin by entering the name of your departure city and arrival city, along with your desired dates and the approximate time of day that you wish to fly (morning, evening, or noon). Then, you select the number of adults that are flying, and click “search”. Expedia.com will then switch to another screen for about 15 to 20 seconds while it attempts to find some flights that match your chosen itinerary.
The flights that display will be listed in price order, starting with the least expensive. They will not necessarily be listed in order based on your desired time to fly (morning, noon, or evening). For example, if I stated that I wanted to fly in the morning, Expedia.com will try to list morning flights first. However, if there happens to be an afternoon departure time that’s less expensive than one of the morning flight options, Expedia.com will list the afternoon flight before the morning flight that’s more expensive. This is done, I assume, to ensure that the customer has the chance to see all of the least costly flights up- front, even if they are not at the desired time of departure.
What if I Want to Change my Dates or Airport?:
The search function that Expedia.com offers is very user- friendly. After your search results have been displayed, you can quickly conduct another search by changing the dates on the left- hand side of the screen. You can also select another nearby airport to search, to see if there’s a better deal. You will notice that Expedia.com does the airport searching for you- all you have to do is click on the drop- down menu (where the airport code is displayed) and you will see a listing of other airports in the nearby area. If you want to switch airports, you just select it from the menu, and then click “go”. In 15 to 20 seconds, Expedia.com will show you the flight options and prices for the other airport. There is no need to click “back”, on your browser, to start over. You can make these changes quickly and painlessly, right there on the search results page.
There is one exception to this. If you want to change your destination airport, you cannot quickly make the change on the search results page. You will have to go back and start over.
Expedia.com’s search results will usually only show you the itinerary for your departure flight, and not for the return flight. The reason I say “usually” is because it depends on where you’re flying. If you select a domestic flight, you will only see the departure options on the first search page. Then, after selecting a departure flight option, you will be taken to another screen where you can select a return flight. On an international flight, the departure and return flights will both display, right on the first screen.
Making a Purchase:
After making your selection for your flight, Expedia.com will display a full summary of your desired purchase, showing the dates, departure and arrival times, changeovers at other airports, type of aircraft, total flight time, total miles flown, and the terminal where you will depart from. Listed below the flight summary, you will likely see more services offered from Expedia.com, to add to your flight purchase, as part of a package deal. These offers usually center around special deals on hotel stays, but they may also include car rentals and other travel- related services.
To complete your purchase, you will need to enter your basic data (name, address, phone number, flight preferences, etc). You will also need to establish an account, with Expedia.com, at this time. To set up an account, you just make up a user id and password, and enter your e-mail address. There is no cost for this, but you must have an established account before you can continue with your purchase.
Expedia.com’s quoted prices already include taxes, but they do not include shipping charges. If your flight requires the issuing of paper tickets (or if you request paper tickets) it will cost you about $15 to $30 additional, depending on your selected mode of ticket delivery.
Other Services:
Expedia.com does offer more than just flight searches. You can lookup information on hotels, cruises, car rentals, vacation packages, and much more. (Note: for this review, I’m not going into detail on these other services because Epinions provides a separate category for each of them). You can also lookup a map of your destination, weather data, airport information, and many other travel- related services.
Final Thoughts:
Travel web services are among my favorite on- line sites. I enjoy browsing through these services, even when I’m not actively looking to make any travel- related purchases. It’s fun just to browse through these sites, look at the photos of resorts, look for cut- rate deals, etc. It’s also nice to discover a new travel site that’s easy to use and provides good value. Expedia.com delivers on both counts.
One of Expedia.com’s best selling points is the easy search function. With many other flight search functions, you have to click back, on your browser, and start all over again, even for a minor change to your flight search, like a date change. With Expedia.com, you can make these changes right from the search results screen.
Another thing I like is the way the search results are displayed. Instead of having complete round trip packages to choose from, Expedia.com displays the departure and return flights separately (expect for international flights). This is better than some other services that want you to select a round trip package. You can tailor your flight to fit your exact needs.
Expedia.com is a very good travel web service, for flights and other travel- related items. It’s easy to use, and the prices are competitive. If you haven’t tried it out yet, I recommend doing so. The easy to use search function will allow you to quickly find the best deal on a flight. Logon and see for yourself!
Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read More Reviews of Other Popular Travel Web Sites:
American Express Travel
Cheapairlines.com
Travelnow.com
Cheaptravel.com
Hotel Discount.com
Bestfares.com
Hotwire.com
America’s Vacation Center
Expedia.com Hotels
Expedia.com Cruises
Travelocity.com Flights
Travelocity.com Hotels
Priceline.com Flights
Priceline.com Hotels
Vacations To Go
Vacationspot.com
Flycheap.com
LowestFare.com
Mytravelco.com
Placestostay.com
Orbitz.com
Cheaptickets.com
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Bryan Carey
Location: Houston, TX
Reviews written: 3681
Trusted by: 1567 members
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