When planning international travel, booking airline tickets is one of the most important elements. In recent years, numerous Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) have emerged, offering airline tickets at cheaper prices than regular fares. However, the quality of service and usability varies greatly. Choosing based on price alone can often lead to unexpected troubles.
This article presents a subjective ranking of truly valuable OTA services based on actual usage experience. Each service has been evaluated from practical perspectives including app usability, customer support quality, and booking stability. We hope this serves as a reference for smart airline ticket booking in 2025.
1. GoToGate – Overall No.1 Service with Excellent Usability
One of the services I personally find most valuable and relatively recommend to beginners is GoToGate. The app interface is very intuitive, making it easy to check booked flight details all in one place. Particularly noteworthy is the pre-flight support function. It provides real-time notifications for gate changes and departure time adjustments, preventing confusion and panic at the airport.
While refund processing may take some time, they generally respond flexibly, providing peace of mind. Due to its excellent overall balance, this service can be used by a wide range of users from beginners to advanced travelers.
2. Kiwi.com – Advanced Search Functions for Experienced Travelers
Kiwi.com also offers good app usability with an attractive user-friendly design. Their proprietary “Virtual Interlining” technology proposes budget routes connecting airlines that normally cannot be combined.
However, this feature comes with specific considerations. It may require long-distance transfers between airports (such as Shanghai Hongqiao to Pudong) or include tricky itineraries like “Hidden City” (using only part of the ticket and not using the remainder). While such special routes can provide significant cost savings for experienced travelers, beginners face risks such as missing connections, so careful evaluation is essential.
Additionally, Kiwi.com distributes first-time user coupons, so you may be able to book flights at even lower prices than other OTA sites.
3. SEISHIN SPIRIT – Strong Ally for Those Seeking Lowest Prices
SEISHIN SPIRIT, with its surprisingly low prices as the main attraction, may have a surreal name but is a service with many useful applications. However, it lacks a dedicated app and the official website is hard to find, causing many first-time users to feel distrustful. Many users are indeed confused.
However, once you get used to the usage method, its high cost-performance ratio makes it one of the services you’ll want to use most frequently. For those prioritizing price above all when searching for airline tickets, it’s sufficiently recommendable despite the usage hassles.
4. eDreams – Comprehensive Support Options
eDreams has a user-friendly app with a refined user interface. Personally, I’ve been somewhat hesitant to use it after experiencing a booking failure in the past, but it’s quite excellent in other aspects.
Particularly noteworthy is their response when flights are cancelled. In case of cancellation, all paid amounts are naturally refunded, plus you receive a $30 voucher for future use on the same itinerary. Additionally, they offer comprehensive support systems for troubles, such as affordable date change options. From a risk hedging perspective, it’s a service that provides peace of mind.
5. MyTrip / FlightNetwork – GoToGate’s Sister Services
Tied for fifth place are MyTrip and FlightNetwork. These are actually GoToGate group services, essentially the same service provided by the same company. Pricing and support quality are equivalent to GoToGate, but the site design differs somewhat, sharing GoToGate’s platform.
Therefore, usability is somewhat inferior compared to GoToGate, particularly making it difficult to check booked flights. Generally, when GoToGate is available, it’s more convenient to prioritize that option.
6. Agoda – Convenient for Combined Hotel Bookings
While Agoda is famous as a hotel booking site, it often provides cheap airline tickets as well. Among hotel booking site systems, it has the best usability, especially convenient when booking hotels and flights together.
However, booking confirmation takes some time, so it’s recommended for bookings when you have ample time before travel dates. Remember that it’s not suitable for last-minute bookings.
7. Trip.com – Strong in Asian Routes
Trip.com, which occasionally displays surprisingly cheap airline tickets, has particular strength in Asian routes. Flight booking itself generally proceeds without problems, but some users have experienced troubles locally when train tickets or tourist attraction entrance tickets purchased on the same site didn’t work properly.
If used solely for airline ticket booking, it’s a service worth considering.
8. Bravofly – Recently in Decline
While Bravofly was frequently displayed in the past, its presence has recently diminished. Prices are cheap and there are no major issues, but some users have experienced troubles with booking errors in the past. Currently, with increased alternatives available, usage frequency tends to be declining.
9. Expedia / Booking.com – For Those Seeking Stability
Known as major OTAs, Expedia and Booking.com occasionally display flight prices cheaper than regular fares. Due to brand recognition, their reliability and stability are outstanding, but when seeking pure price affordability, the services ranked higher would be more attractive.
They may be useful for first-time international travel or when prioritizing service stability above all else.
10. Kiss&Fly – Emerging Service Rising
Kiss&Fly, which has become more visible recently, is a service many haven’t used yet. Currently, it often shows prices higher than regular fares, but expectations are high for future development including user interface improvements and enhanced price competitiveness.
Conclusion – How to Choose the Right OTA for You
Choosing OTA services requires comprehensive judgment of various factors, not just price affordability, including usability, support systems, and booking stability.
For first-time users especially, starting with high overall capability services like GoToGate is recommended. Once you become familiar, you can try more cost-effective services like Kiwi.com or SEISHIN SPIRIT.
Finally, remember that even the most reputable OTAs can sometimes encounter troubles. For important trips or tight schedules, we recommend planning with some buffer time. Use them wisely to enjoy affordable and comfortable international travel.
※This ranking is based on personal experience and subjective evaluation. Usability and risks vary depending on conditions, so please make your final judgment yourself.
