How to Book International Flights at Orbitz

Booking international flights can be intimidating especially if it is a long-haul flight. There are many things you need to take into account and keep in mind if you want to book the flight at the lowest price possible. Recently I have booked a ticket at Orbitz from Riga, Latvia to Orange County for my husband and I would like to describe the process step by step.

Check out Orbitz website and specify your destinations and dates.

I recommend having flexible dates as the cost of airfare may differ substantially. Also consider checking nearby locations. I checked out flight from Riga to Orange County, Riga to Los Angeles to see if there is a price difference. I was searching for the tickets starting July 30. For example, I discovered that a one-way ticket from Riga to Orange County on Sat, July 30, Sun, Jul 31 and Mon, Aug cost $1,017, but on Tue, Aug 2 the price was higher, $1,183.

The price of the flight ticket didn’t cover the baggage check-in, it was extra $60 for a bag weighing over 12 kg. Carry-on up to 12 kg is included in the price of the ticket.

Book 30 days in advance for the cheapest airfare if possible.

I checked the cost of the flight tickets for the later dates and discovered that the cheapest price was from Riga to Los Angeles by Turkish Airlines for just $596.32 on Sun, Aug 28, and it included carry-on and 2 checked bags. But my husband couldn’t stay in Riga that long, so we rejected this option even thought the price was very good.

Check the price for a one-way trip and round ticket.

I checked the price of the round trip and it turned out that it’s cheaper to book round. In my case a round trip from Riga to Orange County cost $939.97, with carry-on up to 12 kg included. Round trip is not always cheaper that one-way trp. It depends on the dates and make sure you check whether the cost of check-in luggage is included.

Use VPN to check airfare from different countries.

The price difference may be up to several hundred dollars for the same route when booked in different countries. If you have time and are determined to find the cheapest airfare, consider checking this too.

Changing tickets.

When I was booking the flight from Riga, I made a mistake in my husband’s name. Thank’ s God I noticed this quickly enough to change the tickets without penalty fee. There is no fee for changing ticket within 24 hours of your initial booking. But to my surprise they charged the fee when I logged in from my laptop. Instead of $939.97 the price changed to $1185.77.

I decided to use the phone then and checked the price from their app and there was no price change. As you see, the process of changing tickets is tricky and time consuming, but it is worth the efforts.

Save on hotel when you book your flight.

Once you booked your flight you will immediately earn Orbucks you can redeem to save on your hotel booked through Orbitz. Your Orbits flight booking will let you save up to 20% on hotel accommodation. In my case I earned $18.80 in Orbucks to be instantly applied to my hotel booking.

It might be a little scary to book the airline tickets for the first time and the process may seem rather complicated. But once you know all the nitty-gritty of it you will be able to fly at the lowest price available.