How to use Orbitz to find cheap flights

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Orbitz is an online travel agency (OTA) and flight search engine. You might already be aware that you can buy flights from Orbitz that cost less than if you bought them directly from the airline. What you may not know is that Orbitz offers a number of flight search and filter tools that allow you to save even more money.

Part of the Expedia Group, Orbitz has been in business for over 20 years and has evolved into one of the largest and best OTAs out there, for several reasons. First, fare rules and details on Orbitz are clear and transparent, and they generally have good customer service. Second, Orbitz makes it easy to compare upgrade features and pricing during the flight purchase process. Finally, if you find the same flights cheaper within 24 hours of booking, Orbitz will refund you the difference.

Like other OTAs, Orbitz sometimes offers the same flights for less than airline websites. Another benefit of searching for flights on Orbitz is that they combine flights from different carriers to create low-cost itineraries that aren’t available direct from airlines. When you book flight through Orbitz, you can also double-dip by earning both frequent flyer miles and Orbitz Rewards points (Orbucks).



With a little know-how, you can use different search and filter features to save money on Orbitz’ already low-priced flights. This guide will take you through them one by one, including how to use Orbitz’s low fare finder tools and where to look for inexpensive flights on the Orbitz website.

How to search for Orbitz flights

How to find and book cheap Orbitz flights: enter flight information
How to search for Orbitz flights: enter search information on this screen.

1. Select the Flights tab, then select from roundtrip, one-way, or multi-city flights. To see the lowest flight prices, keep the number of passengers set to one. You can change this later if necessary.

2. Enter your departure and destination airports. For cities with multiple airports, like New York, you will be able the city or a particular airport. If you use the city option, Orbitz will show you flights to or from all airports in that city.

3. When searching for flights on the Orbitz webite, leave the airline tab at the top of the screen set to “Any airline” as shown below, even if you prefer flights from a particular airline. You’ll often see the same flights from, say, American Airlines for less than if you limited the search by setting the airline tab to only American Airlines flights.

How to find cheap Orbitz flights: leave the airline tab set to "Any airline".
Leave the airline tab set to “Any airline”.

Find cheap Orbitz flights using the low fare finder

1. Enter your preferred travel dates (AKA “date pair”). Click the Search button. Be aware that the results may contain outbound and return flights on different carriers. Although this can save you money, you may want outbound and return flights on the same airline. If so, simply make sure to choose the desired airline during the flight selection process.



It’s easier to find cheap flights if your travel dates are flexible. Orbitz offers two ways you can see flight prices for multiple dates: a low fare finder for nearby dates and a 60-day low fare calendar. You can refine your search by searching for different fare types, selecting a particular airline, or searching for only non-stop or refundable flights. These options are located above the search box at the top of the page. However, if you’re looking for the cheapest flights, it’s best to leave these options alone and search for as many flights as possible, then narrow the search results as desired.

2. To see the low fare finder on the flight search results page, click “Flexible dates” above the flight search results.

How to find and book cheap Orbitz flights: use the flexible dates tool

3. The low fare finder grid displays the prices for departure / return dates 3 days before and after your selected dates. Departure dates are in a row at the top, return dates are in a column on the right side. Click on a price to see flight results for a particular date pair dates. On the new flight results page, select “Flexible dates” to open the low fare finder again.

In the example below, our original search dates of Aug. 19-30 yielded a price of $157. However, flights departing Aug. 21 and returning Aug. 28, 31 or Sept. 1 are only $117. If we click the $117 price on Aug. 21-28, a flight search for those dates will begin automatically.

How to find and book cheap Orbitz flights: use the low fare finder

Find Orbitz flight deals using the low fare calendar

Another way to find cheap Orbitz flights is to use the low fare calendar, which shows up to 60 days of fares. To access the calendar, follow step 1 above to begin your flight search. On the flight search results page, click the “Departing” date field at the top of the page to open the low fare calendar.

How to find and book cheap Orbitz flights: use the low fare calendar, part 1

When the calendar opens, you may see cheaper fares than your original dates. Hopefully, you will, because that’s the whole point of the low fare calendar. In the example below, the original departure date of August 19 shows fares from $158. Departing on Aug. 21 or selected dates in September will cost only $117.



How to find and book cheap Orbitz flights: use the low fare calendar, part 2

Click a departure date to see the return dates available at that price. By clicking on $117 on August 21 in the example, we can see that fares returning on September 24 or 28 are $117.

How to find and book cheap Orbitz flights: use the low fare calendar, part 3

Select your desired departure and return dates on the calendar and click done (or just enter the dates in the flight search box at the top of the page). For the example, we selected Aug. 21 departure and Aug. 28 return. Click the Search button.

How to book Orbitz flights

1. Select the Flights tab, then select from roundtrip, one-way, or multi-city flights. To see the lowest flight prices, keep the number of passengers set to one. You can change this later if necessary.

2. Enter your departure and destination airports. For cities with multiple airports, like New York, you will be able the city or a particular airport. If you use the city option, Orbitz will show you flights to or from all airports in that city.

3. Enter your preferred travel dates (AKA “date pair”). Click the Search button.

4. If you wish, you can filter the flight search results by stops, airline, fees, etc. Once you’re satisfied with the flights and prices, click the desired outbound flight to open the flight details window. Scroll down a bit to see the fare rules regarding cancellations, flight changes, baggage, seat selection, etc. Click the button to Continue. Using the same process, select your desired return flight. Click the button to Continue.



How to book Orbitz flights

5. To see other fare choices for these flights, scroll down and click “Change fare”. Use the arrow to scroll left or right through the choices. When you’re happy with your selections, click the “Check out” button.

How to book Orbitz flights, step 2

6. Enter passenger information. Select seats if that option is available for your flights. Below the passenger information, open the “Frequent flyer program” and/or “TSA pre-check” windows to enter that information if you like. Scroll down to add travel insurance if desired.

7. Click “Get money back on future price drops” to add Orbitz’s Price Match Promise for an additional fee. If you select this option, Orbitz will check daily for a lower price on your flights. If a lower price is found, Orbitz will refund you the difference.

8. Enter payment and booking contact information and you’re all done.

Other ways to find Orbitz flight deals

Browse flights under $199

Flights under $199 are featured on this page on the Orbitz website. The page is updated daily or more frequently and is always a good place to check for flight deals.

On the Orbitz home page, scroll down to the bottom and click “Top flight destinations”. Click your desired destination to view available flight specials.



Just below the “Top flight destinations” section, under the “Explore” heading, click on “Domestic Flights”. Flights featured on Orbitz’s domestic deals page are usually different from those on the “$199 or Under” and “Biggest Deals, Best Flights” sections so it’s worth it to take a minute to quickly browse the special offers.

Cheap Orbitz flights to popular destinations

Browse Orbitz’s best flight deals

Orbitz’s “Biggest Deals, Best Flights” features just that – top deals on the best flights. While these are primarily domestic USA flights, you can also occasionally find some amazing deals on international flights.

Check for Orbitz flight coupons and promo codes

Orbitz coupons and promo codes tend to focus on hotel and vacation package deals, but you can sometimes find some good deals on flights as well. One of Orbitz’s specialties is bundling great prices on flights and hotels into exceptionally priced vacation packages. This can be easier and faster than searching for separate flights and hotels, and often produces better results.

We hope you enjoyed this guide and got some use out of it. Most of all, we hope you found a great price on Orbitz flights. Now that you’re a pro Orbitz flight searcher, you can use your talents to impress your friends with the great fares you’re able to fin If you have any questions about searching for or booking cheap Orbitz flights, please contact us and we’ll do our best to find the right answer for you.



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