Cheapest Flights Expedia vs Priceline vs Google Flights

How can you be sure you're really getting the best possible deal on your airfare? In-depth comparisons aren't easy to make on the fly, so we're doing the heavy lifting for you. We're comparing:

• Expedia

• Priceline

• Hipmunk

• Google Flights

Get Upto 70% Off International Tickets

Why BusinessClassExperts is Different

Business Class Experts is not an aggregator. Our travel agents work out special travel deals with the airlines to ensure lower than advertised prices so you get better deals and perks than you'll find using any travel booking site. That also means no surprises. Your discounted airline ticket includes everything you need to know upfront.

The Main Players In Flight Search Game

Expedia and Priceline are two of the main travel booking sites that find the prices themselves. Other travel site platforms, known as aggregators, are only as strong as the online travel agencies (OTAs) they search. Aggregators do not book tickets, but instead, search dozens of booking engines and OTAs then compile the results in a single place. You choose the better deal and click through for details.

Expedia Owned Flight Search Engines

You'll get the same results on all of those sites. TripAdvisor once owned Expedia, and while they split in 2011, TripAdvisor still draws its information from Expedia.

• Travelocity

• Orbitz

• CheapTickets

• Hotwire,

• eBookers

Get Upto 70% Off International Tickets

Priceline Owned Flight Search Engines

If you think you still have a number of other travel booking choices for your next trip, you're wrong. Priceline owns

• Kayak

• Booking.com

• Cheapflights

• Agoda

• Momondo

You'll get the same results across all those travel booking sites. That's why we're comparing Expedia and Priceline directly.

Results for some airlines, such as Southwest are not included because they don't allow their results to be aggregated. If you want to check airfares for those airlines, you'll need to do it manually.

How We Compared Flights

• Business Class Flights

• Economy Class Flights

• 12 Weeks in Advance

• Last Minute (week of travel)

We looked at major cross-country flights, from New York City (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX), and some international flights from major U.S. cities.

We chose the following travel routes:

• New York JFK to Los Angeles LAX

• Atlanta ATL to London Heathrow LHR

• New York JFK to Paris CDG

• New York LGA to Rome FCO

• Chicago ORD to Barcelona BCN

All flights are the lowest price round-trip for a seven-day stay. Sampled 10/20/2019.

Fare Test 1: New York JFK to Los Angeles LAX

Get Upto 70% Off International Tickets

Economy Class 12 Weeks in Advance Last Minute Expedia $197 $499 Priceline $197 $748 Hipmunk $197 $587 Google Flights $197 $587

Business Class 12 Weeks in Advance Last Minute Expedia $661 $1,503 Priceline $606 $1275 Hipmunk $1,797 $2,367 Google Flights $1,216 $1,713

Fares Test 2: Atlanta ATL to London Heathrow LHR

Get Upto 70% Off Tickets To London

Economy Class 12 Weeks in Advance Last Minute Expedia $731 $1,139 Priceline $630 $730 Hipmunk $683 $755 Google Flights $685 $1,192

Business Class 12 Weeks in Advance Last Minute Expedia $4,033 $10,119 Priceline $3,726 $5,467 Hipmunk $4,448 $5428 Google Flights $4,171 $4,153

Fare Test 3: New York JFK to Paris CDG

Get Upto 70% Off Tickets To Paris

Economy Class 12 Weeks in Advance Last Minute Expedia $275 $787 Priceline $290 $463 Hipmunk $264 $597 Google Flights $288 $730

Business Class 12 Weeks in Advance Last Minute Expedia $2,460 $2,537 Priceline $2,404 $2,593 Hipmunk $1,801 $1,204 Google Flights $2,619 $2,642

Fare Test 4: New York LGA to Rome FCO

Get Upto 70% Off Tickets To Rome

Economy Class 12 Weeks in Advance Last Minute Expedia $358 $891 Priceline $401 $479 Hipmunk $378 $891 Google Flights $359 $891

Business Class 12 Weeks in Advance Last Minute Expedia $2,511 $3,728 Priceline $2,514 $6,142 Hipmunk $2,850 $8,156 Google Flights $2,518 $6,042

Fare Test 5: Chicago ORD to Barcelona BCN

Get Upto 70% Off Tickets To Barcelona

Economy Class 12 Weeks in Advance Last Minute Expedia $430 $557 Priceline $478 $375 Hipmunk $469 $462 Google Flights $469 $471

Business Class 12 Weeks in Advance Last Minute Expedia $3,460 $2,783 Priceline $2,505 $2,811 Hipmunk $3,460 $3,460 Google Flights $2,745 $2,778

Travel Sites Hidden Fees

Some flights had booking fees on Expedia, but these were often less than $10 on each flight. Hipmunk was the one with the most hidden fees because they take you directly to the airline's website to book flights. Additional taxes and fees varied depending on the airline. For example, in one case, Hipmunk quoted $587+ for a round trip ticket. Once we got to the site, we found that we had to pick our tickets separately, and with the fees, the $587 became $601.60.

In addition to hidden fees, baggage fees, seat selection fees, and other incidentals, it's a good idea to read the fine print and understand cancellation policies and non-refundable ticket rules and check to see if there is a price match guarantee for your preferred airline.