Book a flight online or by phone? Our honest take

Let's get one thing out of the way. We take bookings by phone, so we're not neutral on this. But we'd rather give you a fair answer than a sales pitch, and the honest answer is that it depends on the trip.

When online is fine

Say you're flying from Atlanta to Orlando, round-trip, one airline, dates already picked. Book it on the airline's website. It takes ten minutes, you choose your own seat, and the price will be about what you'd find anywhere else. You don't need anyone's help with that.

The same goes for a trip you've done before. Same route, same airline, same dates as last year. You know how it works.

When a phone call is worth it

Some trips don't fit neatly into a booking form. A few examples:

What you give up on the phone

A little control. You're describing your trip to someone else, so listen closely when they read it back to you. Check the spelling of every name, the dates, the airports. Ask for the total price, with taxes and fees, before you agree to anything. That goes for us, and it goes for anyone else you book with.

How to decide

Ask yourself one thing: do I have questions? If the trip is simple and you don't, go online. If you do have questions, or the trip has a few moving parts, pick up the phone.

Either way, look at a second source before you pay for something expensive. If you'd like us to be that second source, send a fare-check request or call us. Nothing gets booked until you say yes.

Need help booking a flight?

Call 1-800-369-5081 and we’ll check fares for your dates. See our Delta Airlines reservation page.

Call 1-800-369-5081 Get a fare check

Keep reading

← Back to all posts