<p>Has anyone had good luck/bad luck with bidding for airline tickets on Orbitz/Priceline? They appear to have 2 options: one where they pick the details and the other, you can choose among the offerings. Any experiences?</p>
<p>I have used Priceline and done the “offer/biddingr” for hotel and rental cars, but never for airlines. I have been successful most of the time in getting a really good rate. If you “bid” and they decline but come back with a counter offer, if you then decline, you cannot make another offer unless you have a second screen name with them, so if they offer sometime just a little more, don’t get greedy!!!</p>
<p>I ususally fly with a tight schedule, wanting to know exactly when and where I depart, usually flying direct etc. I try to book ahead for cheap seats using Southwest/ATA, Airtran, or Song (when there WAS a Song.) Good luck and tell us how you made out. I would be interested to know just how you did bidding on airline tickets.</p>
<p>The discounts on Priceline aren’t nearly as good for airline tickets as they are for hotels, but check out biddingfortravel.com for bidding strategies.</p>
<p>I asked about this several months ago. The response I received is that airlines pricing policies are now so tight, that it is rare to find a great rate through bidding sites. Airlines have also significantly cut the number of flights available, making most of today’s domestic flights full. As a result, they no longer have the same need to fill empty seats. We were advised to pay attention to discount announcements through travel sites, but to keep shopping on the airlines own site for purchasing tickets.</p>
<p>Hotels are another matter, and because there are so many extra rooms, they would prefer to fill them with discounted rates rather than be empty.</p>