Skyscanner prices cheaper than airline

Bosco69

Im looking to book return flights for next month to Frankfurt.

When I look on Skyscanner the price is €108, however on the airline website it costs €133.

How is it that the Skyscanner price is cheaper than the airline itself?

I can book through Skyscanner by being rerouted to airtickets.com, however having only ever booked directly through airline websites, I am cautious of this.

Can anyone offer me advice on this?

Thanks

endofrainbow

3rd party online tickets agent's prices are not live (only the airline's website can be live) did you do a dummy booking to see what the total cost would be?

For the sake of E25, I would book with the airline.

Gatica

I've found that with skyscanner before as well. It can be a bit annoying when comparing prices down to the Euro.
I also noticed that depending on whether you're booking 1 or multiple tickets, prices can change a little. I've asked them why and they said it could be to do with the plane filling up and selling out of the lower priced seats. I booked 2 tickets singly then on 2 browsers at the same time, worked out cheaper (so I guess their "theory" wasn't quite right)! Just had to manage the two booking separately then, that was all.

endofrainbow

Gatica wrote: »

I've found that with skyscanner before as well. It can be a bit annoying when comparing prices down to the Euro.
I also noticed that depending on whether you're booking 1 or multiple tickets, prices can change a little. I've asked them why and they said it could be to do with the plane filling up and selling out of the lower priced seats. I booked 2 tickets singly then on 2 browsers at the same time, worked out cheaper (so I guess their "theory" wasn't quite right)! Just had to manage the two booking separately then, that was all.

Um Skyscanner are a search engine - you can't actually book flights with them;)

Gatica

hmm.... you're right. I must've found the flights with skyscanner and made separate bookings with whatever airline it was. Sorry, I guess it must've been the airline that I contacted about the different price, but noticed the difference on skyscanner first.
Definitely seen different prices on skyscanner and then the airline in question though.

munchkin_utd

Gatica wrote: »

hmm.... you're right. I must've found the flights with skyscanner and made separate bookings with whatever airline it was. Sorry, I guess it must've been the airline that I contacted about the different price, but noticed the difference on skyscanner first.
Definitely seen different prices on skyscanner and then the airline in question though.

some re-booking sites on Skyscanner advertise a cheaper price but then you get a sizeable booking fee added at the end that negates any difference.
This seems to happen a lot with flights on the cheaper range of price.

otherwise, for more expensive flights (i.e. european flight over 200euro) you can start to see slightly cheaper options via travel agent type websites as they may have a contingent on their system at a better price whereas that class of fare is already sold out on the airline.

Jacovs

Ive been looking at tickets for the past 4 months for a holiday. Normal price on airline website is 900 per person. Then skyscanner sent notification for around 600 per person. Went on it, clicked the relevant travel agent link with the cheap price. Got onto their website, price still showing 600 per person, then once you go to book, fill in all your details and click book it informs you the prices have changed (to the same as the airline's prices) and if you would like to continue. I thought fair enough, maybe the tickets changed price in the few hours it took between getting the notification and trying to book. Next day got same notification, tried again, same story. Sent an email to relevant travel agent asking how come their price was cheap, then went expensive, then cheap, then expensive again. Was sent some BS reply which didnt make sense. Since their website already registered that prices werent 600, but really 900, why then next day show it as 600 again, and then back to 900 again when trying to book. Just looks like a marketing technique and to get hits on their sites. Ive abandoned skyscanner now and just checking airlines themselves.

munchkin_utd

Jacovs wrote: »

<snip> Ive abandoned skyscanner now and just checking airlines themselves.

to be honest, I'm similar to yourself but still use skyscanner for comparing the various airlines and similar routes but only really pay attention to the offers from the actual airlines OR when I see a deal through the likes of a well known online travel agent like expedia who you know arent a shower of messers.

Sometimes there may be a leg of the journey expensive with a direct flight that Expedia would offer on a sister airline or the likes (so say a connecting flight with Swiss or SAS for one direction of travel in conjuction with direct Lufthansa flight in the other direction) that you wont get from the airline itsself