Before Americans hop aboard planes, they go online. According to the U.S. Travel Association, the Internet was the nation’s top-ranking source of travel information in 2009. Between travel agency Web sites and search engines, Americans saw little reason to call travel agencies or airlines. But do travel Web sites really offer the best deals?
Many Web sites offer ridiculously low prices at first glance, like a $99 flight from New York City to London. But the price you see might not include taxes and other fees, which can increase costs quickly. In a 2004 Consumer Reports Webwatch research report, testers experienced repeated fare-jumping — the largest jump increased the ticket price by $748.