Trawling the web for flight deals really pays off, Choice finds

TRAVELLERS booking flights online could save up to 25 per cent by trawling lesser-known websites, Choice says.

Plane

TRAVELLERS booking flights online could save hundreds of dollars by trawling lesser-known websites, the consumer magazine Choice says.

Well-known flight comparison sites may be fast and convenient, but lesser known comparison sites can save travellers up to 25 per cent, Choice spokeswoman Ingrid Just said.

"It's definitely worth spending extra time surfing the net for more sites and not just assuming the well-known sites will automatically deliver the most competitive prices,'' Ms Just said.

Choice found savings of $463 for flights between Sydney and Los Angeles on the same dates, she said.

"After you have found the lowest fare on the comparison website it's worth going directly to the website of the airline ... that way you will avoid the costly surcharges on some comparison sites.''

Popular sites such as statravel.com.au and bestflight.com.au charge $500 and $350 respectively to cancel bookings while Webjet.com.au charges $29.95 processing fee and a $19.95 booking fee, she said.

Choice found the best comparison sites were jetabroad.com.au, zuji.com.au and wotflight.com.