Another way to find a cheaper ticket

I'm pretty good at finding cheaper or better airfare online but when friends or family ask me to help, I just groan because it takes a LOT of time.

I thought I'd share this tidbit. I was recently looking for airfare for a pretty expensive short notice trip to Europe. Orbitz told me the cheapest fare was $1806. FareCompare told me the cheapest ticket was $1650. When I clicked on the "purchase this airfare" on FareCompare, it opened a window to Orbitz! So I bought a ticket on Orbitz for cheaper than Orbitz had listed. One of two things is at work:

• Either FareCompare has a deal with Orbitz where they get something off the ticket and they pass some of that on to me.
• Or Orbitz's search engine isn't working well enough to find me the cheapest fare.

So knowing where to look can save you money - the cheapest fare one travel site shows isn't always the cheapest fare.