Air Fare Tracking Websites

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I thought it would be interesting and useful to start a thread on airfare tracking websites. I'm particularly interested in hearing opinions and experiences from others.

I'll start by saying that I recently started using Skyscanner to track airfares. What I like about Skyscanner is that I can track for a specific flight and level of service, not just between two locations. I focus my travel on Alaska Air so that I can build mileage and frequent flyer status. So I generally zero in on a specific flight that meets our needs - or if not a specific flight I know the days.

With Skyscanner I can set up a search that exactly matches the search criteria I set up. I then get a daily email that advises me of fare changes on each search that I have set up. I also can opt out of other notifications, so my Inbox isn't getting flooded with other notices. I also didn't give them my primary email address - I sent their email to one of my secondary email addresses.

I have a significant amount of travel scheduled for the remainder of this year (close to 25k total air miles on eight flight segments). I started using Skyscanner about one month ago, and so far due to their alerts, I've been able to save about $600 by cancelling and rebooking. I also missed out on another $120 saving because I didn't check the secondary email account where I get their messages for several days - they notified me of a price reduction, but by the time I checked it was gone.

I tried setting up similar fare alerts with Kayak, but it didn't seem that I could be as specific as I could get with Skyscanner. I also like getting a daily email, so I can see exactly which fares I'm tracking and what is happening. In reviewing one of their emails, I noticed that I had a flight for which I hadn't set up an alert. So I added that and was rewarded a couple of weeks later with a ~$100 fare reduction that I would have otherwise missed.

Obviously, I'm pretty pleased with Skyscanner - but maybe there are other options out there that I would be even more pleased with if I knew about them. And since TUGgers are also travelers, I think it would be helpful to share information about what is out there and what works.

 

[MULTIZ321]

Hi Steve,

If you haven't already - check out www.hopper.com.
I'm not sure how they compare to Skyscanner. I know you can set up price alerts but I haven't done so yet. I'll be interested to see your & other Tugger's feedback.

Happy Trails.

Richard

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I thought it would be interesting and useful to start a thread on airfare tracking websites. I'm particularly interested in hearing opinions and experiences from others.

A side note. One reason why I stick to Alaska Airlines is to reach MVP Gold status. A key benefit is that cancellation penalties are waived. So for the transactions I outlined, when the fare goes down I can cancel the existing reservation and rebook without being charged cancellation fees, even though I have booked a non-refundable air fare. So in the rebooking scenarios I described above, that by itself has saved me $300 in fees.

 

[AJCts411]

Having used Hopper and Google Flights, they both seem to be basing their recommendations on past history. What I noticed is that since the grounding of the MAX and all of the flight cancellations, the data is not holding to past trends.
Using these sites one has to be aware that the posted cost is the lowest...bare bones, and be sure to use exact dates of travel. Some sites do have the option of tracking upgraded tickets...like including seat selection, but I found that the search still presented lowest fares regardless. Of all the sites i used for tracking, Hopper and Google Flights seemed the best.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Having used Hopper and Google Flights, they both seem to be basing their recommendations on past history. What I noticed is that since the grounding of the MAX and all of the flight cancellations, the data is not holding to past trends.
Using these sites one has to be aware that the posted cost is the lowest...bare bones, and be sure to use exact dates of travel. Some sites do have the option of tracking upgraded tickets...like including seat selection, but I found that the search still presented lowest fares regardless. Of all the sites i used for tracking, Hopper and Google Flights seemed the best.

One of the things I liked about Skyscanner was the ability to customize the search if desired. You can select a specific level of service (economy, coach, business class, first, etc.). You can be as specific as a specific flight on a specific day, in a particular level of service.