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CheapOAir

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5.5

Overall Score

Author: Kalicia Bateman

LAST UPDATED: March 30th, 2022

Founded in 2005, CheapOair is a travel booking site with a unique search engine that allows users to search over 450 airlines simultaneously to find the best possible ticket prices. CheapOair offers 24/7 customer service and is frequently featured in worldwide publications such as the New York Times, Travel and Leisure, and The Huffington Post. 

The company does not sell its own products or services, but rather partners with third-party vendors in the travel industry to provide a single travel booking location for customers. These vendors include airlines, hotels, transportation companies, experience providers, cruise lines, car rental agencies, tour operators, travel insurance providers, and more. If you are looking for a place to book your entire travel experience and make each reservation through one central travel site, CheapOair could be just the company for you.

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The Good

  • Technology
  • Travel Accommodations
  • Search Engine Functionality
  • Reviews
  • Competitive Rewards Plan
  • Customer Service Policies
  • Award-Winning Service

Technology

CheapOair has created an online travel agency platform that allows travelers to find affordable and complete vacation deals at a discounted rate. CheapOair gathers and filters travel information through its innovative data collection technology and presents the most relevant search results, making it an easy travel site for travelers to navigate and book their reservations.

Travel Accommodations

CheapOair allows travelers to book nearly every aspect of their pending travel online, over the phone, or through its mobile app. Those who use CheapOair to book their travel accommodations can reserve the following:

  • Flights
  • Hotels
  • Car rentals
  • Cruises
  • Vacations packages

CheapOair gives its customers the ability to book online or over the phone, though users should know that a service fee may be larger if booked over the phone. The company also offers forms of travel insurance for travelers who want it.

Search Engine Functionality

CheapOair's search engine functionality is one of the best in the industry. Many customers have reported that they saved money with a cheap flight by using this functionality. Other site features that travelers may find useful include the following:

  • Flight Watcher — Look for the cheapest flights at the most desirable departure/arrival times
  • Seat Selector — Pick and reserve your seat on designated flights with participating airlines
  • Trip Manager — After reserving trip accommodations like a vacation package, manage tickets and other booking details from a mobile device
  • Deal Browser — With mobile-exclusive deals, travelers can browse discounts on vacations and reservations

The site also offers a way to do a flight search with flexible travel dates. This feature helps users to find the best deal possible, three days before and after your selected travel date, and usually results in a cheaper flight. 

Reviews

Both CheapOair's online and mobile platforms allow users to read and conduct further research through the help of reviews. Reviews are left by travelers who have stayed in prospective hotels or traveled using specific airlines and can help customers narrow their search and find the best accommodations for their trip.

Competitive Rewards Plan

Customers can earn travel discounts and gift cards by consistently booking with CheapOair’s rewards program. Once you sign up, there is a tiered rewards points system. Users can earn more points per transaction with each successive booking. They can even get $25 for referring a friend. 

Rewards members get up to 20 percent off flights and up to 55 percent off hotel bookings, six times reward points for every booking, and an account history to easily reference your upcoming or previous reservations. 

Shoppers planning to return should know that you can earn two to six times more points when you book through the mobile app. 

A CheapOair credit card is also available to help earn points towards future airfare or reservations in addition to the rewards program. Both options, the CheapOair Visa Credit Card and the CheapOair Visa Signature Credit Card issued by Synchrony Bank, offer several benefits: 

  • Earn 1 Member Reward Point and 6 Credit Card Reward Points for every $1 spent with the card on CheapOair.com
  • Earn 4 points for every dollar spent on dining
  • Earn 2 points for every dollar spent anywhere else

Six months of special financing is also available. 

CheapOair Visa

  • Emergency card replacement
  • Emergency cash disbursement
  • Roadside dispatch

CheapOair Visa Signature

  • CheapOair Visa Benefits 
  • Lost luggage reimbursement 
  • Trip cancellation/interruption
  • Travel accident insurance

Cheapoair Customer Service Policies

Price match promise: A price guarantee allows users to make sure they are receiving the lowest prices on their travel itinerary. If you find a lower online price, the company will credit the difference on your next round trip flight ticket or hotel reservation made through the website. 

Flight and Hotel Inconvenience: If your flight is delayed for over an hour, you encounter baggage delays, or your luggage is lost, the company will issue each ticket holder a $5 coupon for future booking, for up to five people. 

CheapOair Promo Code: CheapOair will also offer a promo code for different reasons each day. Some examples include senior discounts, student discounts, and military discounts. Travelers can use a promo when booking to save a little more on an airline ticket.

Award-Winning Service

To add to CheapOair’s many accomplishments, the company has received countless awards since opening its doors in 2005. The company’s has received rewards for everything from customer service and the CheapOair App to tourism and business practices. Most recently, in 2020, a year without much travel needs, the company received two Gold Stevie Awards for its communication department and its product management team.

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The Bad

  • Limited Car Models
  • Customer Service and Fees
  • Rewards Restrictions
  • Cancellation Policy 

Limited Car Models

CheapOair doesn't have many options available when it comes to rental car models. Most of the cars offered are economy class, which doesn't give customers the option to select a more luxurious vehicle if they want to be a bit more comfortable during their ride. 

Customer Service and Fees

Even though CheapOair has tried to keep the feel of agency booking, it does cost to do this. CheapOair has 24/7 customer service, but the issue is, while getting immediate, human-based assistance, you may rack up some fees. It costs more money to book over a phone call with a booking agent than through the website, as well as a few other things, like cancellations or attaining a refund. Trips booked over the phone may incur more significant service fees. 

CheapOair charges service fees on its transactions: 

  • Air tickets up to $35 per passenger, per ticket
  • Hotel reservations up to $32 per night, per room
  • Car rental up to $25 per rental

The booking fees may be much more if you book over the phone with a customer support travel agent, choose specific vacation packages, upgrade to business class or first-class fare, or plan on multi-city airfare trips. Fees are also subject to change. 

Reward Restrictions

CheapOair does offer a rewards plan to those who enroll in its membership program (enrollment is free and can be completed entirely online). Still, there are some restrictions and a point system that travelers should be aware of. The point system is broken down as follows:

  • Flights — Earn 1 point per every $1 spent on a flight
  • Hotels — Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on a hotel room
  • Car rentals — Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on a car rental
  • Vacation deals — Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on trip "extras"

Points can be earned simply for signing up (up to 500 points upon enrollment), but a high number of points is required to save on hotel reservations. Further, points can only be redeemed on certain hotel chain reservations. 

Cancellation Policy

CheapOair and its contractors charge a cancellation fee ranging from $100 to $250, making it very expensive to cancel bookings and thus limiting the size of the refund you can get when you do cancel.

Most airline tickets available on CheapOair are non-refundable. It is up to the airline. If cancelation is approved, a credit can be put toward a future ticket. However, most of the time, this type of credit comes with an expiration date. So, if you don’t book within the proper time frame, your refund is gone. 

Additionally, most bookings and service fees are non-refundable after 24 hours. 

Trip protection can be canceled within 10 days of purchase if your travel hasn’t happened. 

Within 24 hours of booking, customers can contact a CheapOair representative to cancel and get a refund, but they will pay $50 in cancellation fees for domestic flights and $75 for international, first-class, or business class flights. After 24 hours, economy tickets cost $50 to cancel with a future credit, while business and first-class tickets cost $100 to cancel, with the rest being refunded to future credit. 

If you don’t want credit for a future flight, the cancellation fee is $100 for the domestic economy and $250 for international economy flights and all business and first-class tickets. Additionally, fees for changing your tickets range from $100 to $250. 

Special offers, discounts, or cancelation rates are available for military personnel, natural disasters, the bereaved, and the visually impaired. 

Cancellations with the company can only be handled over the phone with customer service or a cancellation request form. 

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The Bottom Line

CheapOair uses innovative data collection technology to help customers book several different travel accommodations, including flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, and vacation packages. The company provides search engine functionality and traveler reviews to help users find exactly what they are looking for, so finding cheap tickets and hotel reservations are easy. CheapOair stands out from the competition because it has a vast network of resources thanks to its parent company Fareportal, which has been in business since 1976.

Joining CheapOair for the rewards program can help you get a great deal while getting the credit card offers you the opportunity to earn even more points towards future online booking savings.

However, if you do end up booking travel accommodations and then decide to cancel the reservation, you can expect to pay a steep fee. Also, CheapOAir's car models are limited, and its rewards program is somewhat restrictive. 

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Star Rating

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3.8

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475 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

52%

4 grade

18%

3 grade

5%

2 grade

2%

1 grade

23%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Service

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Trustworthiness

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V eronica Bentley Winter Haven, FL

I was thrilled to be able to secure a flight within my budget. I have just been informed my brother in the UK has cancer throughout his body, with no pain. His hip bone is being eaten away. I knew I had to get to see him one more time. I am in the USA. I was able to secure 12 days with him due to family commitments here. I know the leaving will be a sad time, but I am glad for the chance. I have booked Gluton free food, otherwise I would be terribly sick. I have my seat booked and hopefully can sleep through the flight. Thank you all clerks were most helpful especially the last one. This for me is a compassion flight as I know I will never see my brother again. I am on a limited budget and when I heard of my brother's health I tried all major airlines to get a flight within my finances.

6 years ago

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Rohit Salt Lake City, UT

I find a good deal on their site. Later I had to change the date, but their customer support gave a much higher rate than I was seeing on their website. I raised a ticket, and they followed up. They didn't charge anything more than the difference in airline ticket prices. It seems I came across a bad customer support personnel earlier. But their supervisor who called was quite patient and helpful.

5 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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Daniel O'Brien Henderson, NV

What I appreciated the most was the fact that searching for flights, finding suitable flights at the best times for me and making seat selections were simple and quick. There were no hidden charges (everything was explained up front and it was easy to accept or reject options that I did not need). The only concern I had was the fact that I could not pre-pay for a checked bag (the fee for doing so was explained, but the option of pre-paying either was not available or I did not see it). Overall, the experience was quick and pleasant.

6 years ago

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Do Hyung Kim Montclair, CA

Impressed with the majority of the customer service personnel in resolving complex airflight schedule issue including unexpected airline cancellation etc. I have used other airticket agency services before, and I noticed Cheapoair has provided a great deal of airticket as well as afforable schedule suited to my travel for business and personal reasons.

6 years ago

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Linnea Oregon City, OR

My daughter is going to college outside Washington DC and we live across country in Portland, Oregon. Cheapo Air makes it easier to coordinate flights that will ft in with her complicated schedule and shuttle system to and from her college campus. Thanks so much Cheapo Air for helping parents re-unite with their college age children for the Holidays!

7 years ago

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Eddie Rios Ogden, UT

CheapOAir is a great travel site. They give superb access to finding the lowest fares online. And the portal allows for many planning variations. They are trusted, secure, and easy website to use for frequent personal travel.

6 years ago

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Laura Garden Grove, CA

The website is very accurate and give you the best prices. User friendly and a fast follow up. Used the site before, always great prices. Only thing you can’t do is book your seats ahead, that has all to do with the airline itself. I am a happy customer.

6 years ago

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Heidi Gajoch Strongsville, OH

One complaint about changing the flight information. I just wanted to check the amount of the flight for an economy plus seating and the other options, but I had to press the go back arrow and start again to find out how much each option was in order to make my final choice. It would've been easier to have the price available for each option. Maybe that can be an option added.

6 years ago

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Lotte Pedersen

I had problems with payment. I used 3 different credit cards, tat was all declined. I had to talk with your call center 4 times. But in the end I got to talk with a very nice man who assisted, and by breaking up the payment in 2 different portions then we managed. So the experience was mixed. Was very frustrated on all the stress - and it took hours and I talked with several of your staff some seemed very ruth , but in the end a good experiences with a man in the call center who went out of his way to help me.

6 years ago

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Cynthia Menifee, CA

We have never had any issues when booking or traveling through CheapOAir. When comparing rates, we find we have much anxiety thinking of booking through someone else. Thank you so much for giving us so much peace of mind with our booking, our check in, and our flights.

6 years ago

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A J

As a first time user I got a bit confused when navigating the payment and confirmation of flight bookings, but managed to muddle through. It was a bit hard to see if I had paid or not until I got the confirmation email with the itinerary attachment. So I apologise if I have doubled up on requests for information. I was anxious to make sure I had done everything right and that my booking was definite.

6 years ago

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Steve M Osprey, FL

I've used CheapOAir for several years booking both domestic and International flights. It is an efficient and comprehensive website for comparing the myriad options available these days. I especially like its feature of showing alternative dates and/or airport locations.

6 years ago

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Abdullah Alshehri & Cathy Money Pensacola, FL

This is the second time we choose to deal with CheapOAir for our travel plans. We are quite satisfied with their speedy and convenient services not to mention reliable. Everything aspect of the booking on line process is made easy.

6 years ago

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Byron Paz

The Website is wonderful. I am planing to visit United Kingdom and Ireland the next year and I am sure I got the best prices in the market. Other thing for I like to use CheapOAir is because in this site accept Payments with Paypal.

6 years ago

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D Jean McBride-Samuels Jenks, OK

Best Value I have seen and so flexible. As you go or upon returning you don't have to travel the same way you came. This allows me to stop off and visit friends or relatives as I want. Thanks, the airline sites don't give me all of this.

6 years ago

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Mirek Passaic, NJ

Very quick and professional service it was so easy way to booking the airplane ticket at not expensive price and short time before departure.I received confirmation of the buying ticket so quick. I will recommend this website to my family members and also to my friends , all of them will know about so easy way to buy airplane ticket.

6 years ago

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jv Baton Rouge, LA

Good review of flight information within requested parameters. Additional costs spelled out when flight booked. Found seat booking confusing. In almost every case the added cost seats were all that could be viewed. Yet the system then allowed the use of a no cost seat if available. Interesting process. Give yourself time to review all options as they do provide a sufficient plus number. Good experience.

6 years ago

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Caroline Akhras

Rated 0/5 I have asked over and over again to be served properly based on what I paid for. Till now, I have not been served,, more than two weeks...14 days Unprofessional: charged me for services I should not pay for and refused to send back the money; moreover, provided information that is not true..

6 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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Bob Dean Johns Island, SC

I made a last minute trip to Australia from the US. Everything was booked up or very expensive. My wife found me a seat using CheapOair at half the price of the other on line booking sites. When one of the legs got canceled they sent me an email and booked me on the next flight out. Trouble was, that meant an overnight layover in a foreign airport. I called the CheapOair number on my booking and Annice got me rescheduled on the other legs to preclude the long layover. She had to twist some airline arms to do it but she persevered and I am one more happy customer of CheapOair.

7 years ago

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Wanda Bower Kitty Hawk, NC

very good fast and worth it emailed me with updates and took great care of me, haven't went on the trip yet so don't know how good they are. will let you know more once I have made the trip, got me on Quantas which is a great airlines

7 years ago

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CAROLE ALLEN Laguna Niguel, CA

DRU, my Cheapoair agent was fabulous. He was very professional, handled my questions and my changes swiftly and completely. He was very helpful and compassionate, as well. What more can a client ask for? Thank you so much, DRU

7 years ago

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Pyratebear Key West, FL

Customer Service via telephone was extremely helpful, however after a month the price of the booking dropped severely AND flights were offered out of the airport that I preferred FLL instead of MIA in Florida. That aspect was disappointing.

7 years ago

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Stephanie Love Herriman, UT

I love using cheapOair. It’s the one site that you have to go to and it does the searching for you. It looks up the best deals and the best rates and even gives you different options for different days with a different rate, so you can see what the best deal I can get. It’s nice because you don’t have to look up several different airlines. It makes it quick and easy to navigate. It something I will continue to use when I looking for flights.

6 years ago

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Robert Frazier

I cannot find a flight from SAT to LAX on the 17th on the airline I want to fly...my flight should be on Delta and return on 16 February 2020 as well...but your site is only allowing me to view others...that are not worth the time to fly much less use...I refuse to fly on those airlines...

6 years ago

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Patricia Nesmith

My experience was good! I chatted with Monte and had a question about seat selection and he was very helpful in assisting me. He asked what was my seat preference and he was able to book the seat preference I requested.

6 years ago

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kat Madisonville, LA

Do not like having to pay extra to pick seats. This trip has multiple plane changes and seat comfort is important. The extra charge was not known when the reservations were made. Will consider the extra charges when booking flights in the future.

6 years ago

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Jasmine E. Albuquerque, NM

Very user friendly and quick! I understood the concept easily and the website is very easy to navigate through. I plan to continue using this website for travels in the future! Thanks!

6 years ago

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haha Boston, MA

This is the first time I buy a flight ticket on the website in America. It looks good. Everything is clear, and I think I get the cheapest one. Hope my trip is safe and happy.

6 years ago

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Elenora Thomasville, GA

Convenient to book And travel on a short notice. I like the option of booking with Affirm when travel is short notice and monies are not readily available. Cheapoair makes it less stressful in meeting all my travel needs

6 years ago

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LB Chapel Hill, NC

I've been a customer of CheapOAir for some time. I like CheapOAir but they accept different forms of payment except PayPal (?!). When I don't use my debit card, I use PayPal or PayPal Credit to pay for purchases. In fact, many companies accept PayPal including some airlines. It's time for CheapO to get 'onboard.'

6 years ago

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Dianne

CheapOAir made good on a mistake on my ticket and refunded the charge of name change which I thoroughly appreciate. They were very helpful. They followed up on a complaint I had with a sales rep and I am happy with the result.. The reason I gave a 3 instead of a 4 was the sales rep had put me through a lot of anguish during a difficult time. Thank You for correcting his mistake.

6 years ago

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Daryl Homosassa, FL

Thank you for being here! The site was very easy to use. No problems. Just abit annoying with parts that stop the experience. I just want to complete and review everything. After that then it's good to get my feedback.

6 years ago

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Ram Rockville, MD

So far good but goofed up on two fronts: 1. I was charged for seat selections which I thought was just a routine privilege as offered by most of the airlines. 2. I could not use coupons and gift cards due to the fact the site did not direct me to that and I missed on that.

6 years ago

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Wilfred Shelton, WA

It is always such of a nice experience to book a fly with you guys. the process is easy and simple. I do not like complex anymore that is why I like to use CheapOAir for my bookings.

6 years ago

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Parambir singh

It is easy to work out the details are easy to navigate cheapoair give full details of baggage and cabin baggage where we get 2 bags free for checkin also it give the ticket details by email immediately on booking only thing is that indian international credit cards can’t be paid on the payment nice site overall

6 years ago

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Gayle Quincy, MA

Great experience - easy and cheap! Received my itinerary immediately with my confirmation. Plane is full, so I am unable to choose my seat - maybe I'll get into first class!!!

6 years ago

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Cindy Des Moines, IA

I appreciate the ease of the booking site and program. I appreciate being able to get responses in a timely manner when I’ve had questions about flights. The only negative I’ve experienced is last minute flight changes, which I understand may not be the fault of CheapO air.

6 years ago

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Sue Anderson San Marcos, CA

It's the first time I have travelled in over 3 years and the process seems more complicated than the last time I booked through another website. I don't know if it is just that the process is more complicated today or if it is the way in which CheapOAir works

6 years ago

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Camelo Yhap

Most of my bookings I do with CheapOair. Customer service is also great as one time i made a mistake and booked an incorrect flight and they help me immediately to cancel and get a refund.

6 years ago

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Denise Lecanto, FL

My experience was good until I tried to change my flight. I was told it would cost an additional 900.00 to change my flight that’s book all the way in May 2020. I should not have to pay that much to move a flight when it’s that far in advance

6 years ago

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Connie Koumjian Las Cruces, NM

The opportunity to choose seats and low priced airfare are positive. Customer Support was silly. They did not answer my appropriate question. I assume if my name is correct I can ignore the red writing which says to verify my name on my itinerary. That was my question, which remained unanswered. The first two times I asked the customer support person just tried selling me other add-ons.

6 years ago

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Alfred Hill

I found this quite helpful. The process was smooth and did not required further assistance. I will use this medium again and again. Many thanks for all you help and look forward to a safe and enjoyable flight.

7 years ago

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ERMEI

The CheapOAir website is simple, easy to operate, the response is great. I like booking here. I have been booking my international flight tickets with CheapOAir, and I will recommend to my friends about it.

7 years ago

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T.S. Um Norwalk, CA

website showed many different flight info. booking process was easy and price of flight was great. I would definitely book using cheooair for my future travels. hightly recommended

7 years ago

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Kimberly LeBaron Delta, UT

CheapOAir is a very difficult way to book flights. Their website and app are not user friendly, their customer service isn’t great, and there are lots of hidden costs. When I booked my flights, I kept having to re enter information, and I made a spelling error on a name. They charged my $50 to repair it, which I thought was ridiculous. Still, I give it 3 stars because, if you are will to go through the hassle, it is one of the cheapest ways to fly.

7 years ago

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JamesS Dwight, IL

CheapoAir gets what you ask for...but at a price. Cheaper airlines mean cheaper seats, less comfort, more costly services such as baggage and food service etc. Sometimes it works sometimes its better if you need bags to just book thru the airline. Lately i have seen a lot of upselling activity. Take today for example. I am trying to fly Norfolk, VA to Chicago and CheapoAir keeps listing 4 seats available for $180 includes tax plus $40 for checked luggage. For 3 people it comes out to $650ish. I try to book and get message the tickets are no longer available. They try to sell me a $1,000 flight plus tax plus bags...$1,300 total with overnight layover in Denver meaning total is $1,500 with hotel and taxi from airport. I log off go to breakfast and check 3 hours later. The original offer with 4 seats is shown again....i try to book but get same message and upselling offer with overnight in Denver. I call customer service and they contact the airline and say they only have one seat available. CheapoAir tries to upsell other flights for $1,000 to $1,300 with overnight layovers in Denver or Miami. I can buy a direct flight direct from the airlines for the same price so why the upselling overpriced overnight layovers? I checked again, the 4 seats showing available for $650...I have used their service many times before but beginning to believe i am being scammed.

7 years ago

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Debora Paez Columbia, MO

Ever since I found the CheapOAir app, I only use it to book most of my flights. It is convenient and efficient as you can avoid having 10 tabs open with different airlines comparing prices. Additionally, having all my flight information in one platform also helps when traveling with various people or with a lot of layovers. My one complaint with CheapOAir is that they could invest a little more in the structure of the app itself; it tends to crash, glitch, and sometimes have trouble loading all the flights in an organized matter.

4 years ago

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Bing Yeung Riverton, UT

I discovered this site just by browsing online a few years ago. CheapOAir does give you a good search for deals. Talking to an agent might give you more than what's shown. I like that they give free cancellation for every purchase so I don't need to stress about it at uncertain times.

5 years ago

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Mia Alshami Fayetteville, AR

CheapOAir always gives me the cheapest flight rates! I always go to this website when planning out my trips to keep the cost low so I can spend that money on other things during my trip. They also have all the major airlines which is very nice!

5 years ago

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Allen Lambert Fayetteville, AR

CheapOAir has always been a great way to find flights for an affordable price. I have used this website on multiple different occasions and it has never failed me. I highly recommend CheapOAir for all of your budgeted air travel needs!

5 years ago