The four largest independent systems to purchase or research airfares are
Cheap tickets.com, Expedia.com, Lowestfare.com and Travelocity. These sites
allow you to create an itinerary and then purchase the airfare online, by
choosing the desired flight and airline. Click here for more cheap ticket info. Unlike the system used by travel agents (called CRS Computer Reservation System,) the US Department of Transportation does not regulate websites. Why should that matter, you ask? Mainly because that means that the sites may be biased toward one airline over another, and they frequently are, depending on whom is advertising on the site. Sometimes the flight that comes up at the top of your search is not even remotely reasonable as far as number of stops, or time of travel.
Whether or not websites should be regulated is a controversial issue. However, there are things to remember when using the web as your travel agent:
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