- CheapAir.com is an airfare shopping comparison engine using a “proprietary algorithm that scours the web for the lowest prices on the planet“.
- “Mix and Match” airlines for the best prices
- “Price Drop Payback” if the price of your airline ticket goes up
- American-based customer service
Our Editor’s Review
At first glance, CheapAir.com is a basic airfare comparison search engine. It’s fairly simple to use, though not entirely intuitive. We were thrown off by the pop-up box that came up before our airfare search results were displayed. There did not immediately seem to be an easy way to remove the pop-up box. A “no thank you” button would have been nice. Rather, you need to click on one of the small search results on the left of the screen to continue.
As for the airfare pricing on CheapAir, we compared the exact same airfares that we found on CheapAir.com with the rates that we found on the airline’s own website. We found that airfare prices on CheapAir.com were exactly $9.95 more expensive than the airline’s own websites. We can only assume that CheapAir charges a $9.95 booking service fee, but this is not readily disclosed. Real examples:
Round-trip Pasco, WA to Seattle, WA on Alaska Airlines (same flight numbers):
CheapAir price = $147.55 including all taxes/fees
Alaska Airlines price = $137.60 including all taxes/fees
Round-trip Los Angeles, CA to Orlando, FL on US Airways (same flight numbers):
CheapAir price = $474.65 including all taxes/fees
US Airways price = $464.70 including all taxes/fees
Overall, CheapAir does a good job of quickly comparing flights from several airlines, although for the best pricing we still stick with the airline websites. CheapAir.com does have some advantages over the airline websites, so there are still several reasons why we might book flights with them. For instance, CheapAir offers a “Price Drop Payback” service for all of their customers. If the price goes down on the exact flight that you booked, CheapAir.com will refund you the difference up to $100. This is a benefit that you do not receive when you book directly with the airline. You can also “Mix and Match” airlines on CheapAir.com that will often get you a cheaper round-trip price.
CheapAir has a good reputation for the American-based customer service that they provide their customers over the phone, as this can be hard to come by nowadays. CheapAir.com was one of the first flight comparison search engine websites, they search more small discount airlines than their competitors, and they allow you to select your seat! For all these reasons, we recommend CheapAir.com over other similar sites such as CheapoAir and Kayak.
CheapAir.com Fees & Policies*:
- Most airline tickets are non-refundable
- $75 – $300 airline fee to change an airline ticket prior to departure
- Tickets may not be exchanged from one airline to another
*Based solely on research done by TravelSiteCritic.com, these figures may be inaccurate and are subject to change.Verify policies with the website before you book. Please be aware of airfare taxes & fees, applicable to any booking that includes airfare.
CheapAir.com Contact Information:
1-800-CheapAir
Help@CheapAir.com
CheapAir.com User Reviews:
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CheapAir.com Coupon Codes and Deals:
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Please be aware of airfare taxes & fees.