About CheapOair

CheapOair is an online travel agency rather than an airline, and understanding that distinction is the single most useful thing before booking through it.

An agency, not a carrier

The site sells flights, hotel stays, car hire and package combinations from a wide range of suppliers, holding the booking as an intermediary. That model is what produces competitive fares on multi-airline itineraries that a single carrier cannot sell. It also means the agency, not the airline, holds your reservation, and any change you want goes through them first.

The number at the top is not the number at the end

Agency bookings typically carry a service fee added at checkout, on top of taxes and any airline charges for seats or baggage. The fee is disclosed during the booking flow rather than in the headline fare, so compare the final payable total against the airline's own site rather than comparing the first figure you see. On short hops the fee can erase the saving entirely; on complex long-haul routings it often does not.

Changes, cancellations and who you actually call

When a schedule moves or a flight is cancelled, the airline will usually direct you back to the agency that issued the ticket. Agency change fees sit on top of whatever the fare rules allow, and the fare rules are set by the airline. Read the fare conditions before paying, particularly on the cheapest basic economy tickets, where changes may be barred outright rather than merely expensive.

Two checks worth making before you pay

First, look at the currency the booking is charged in and whether your card issuer adds a foreign transaction fee on top, since that quietly changes the comparison. Second, check whether the booking carries any financial protection scheme, because protection depends on who issues the ticket and where they are licensed rather than on the size of the brand. For a straightforward return flight on a single airline it is always worth a quick price comparison against the carrier directly before committing.