Opodo.co.uk

opodo - it reads the same upside down as it does right way up. I found this amusing. I should get out more. With Opodo I can get out more, because I can fly cheaper. Pretty good huh?

OK so Opodo is just another on line flight search and booking site, but this one is brought to you by the good folk at British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, and Aer Lingus amongst others. Why is this good? It seems that these full service carriers have overcapacity and rather than throwing it all out to the great unwashed they can offer cut price seats and hang onto the commissions they would have to pay third party agents. I can fly with a better airline for less money.

The site is available in English, French and German, and is very easy to use. The quick search facility is perfect if you know where you're going and when, but if you just fancy a break to 'somewhere' they list special offer prices on the front page. Each search I made returned a range of flight options, not all from the participating airlines.

My first purchase was a real steal. I was struggling to get a short notice flight to Detroit at a reasonable price, even from, God help us all, Gatwick. Opodo turned up a cracking fare from Birmingham International (so much more civilised than London departures) via Frankfurt on Lufthansa. I paid around £225 return, against the best alternate fare I found of £860. Quite a saving! The Frankfurt option didn't even show up on most searches, and when it did it was at silly money. The flight was jam packed, but who cares at that price.

Booking was quick and easy. I did have to register to buy, but there's no need to register just to search. I made my credit card purchase and was immediately e mailed my e ticket info so that if the hard copy tickets didn't arrive in time I could fly on numbers alone. I need not have worried. I booked shortly after midnight and the tickets were mailed that day, arriving a mere 36 hours after purchase.

Loyal souls can link Opodo bookings to their frequent flier plans, including the One World and Star Alliances.

An extra bonus is the ability to book special meals like veggie, low salt, Kosher or similar efforts to avoid the worst excesses of mass catering, on line at the same time as tickets. Membership options allow you to save your food preferences so you don't need to remember to do this every time.

Opodo isn't always cheapest. I have discovered cheaper TransAtlantic fares on other sites for advance booking. However, where normally I only expect a £50 difference on the same flight, or maybe £100 if I'll fly via somewhere beastly, if you're willing to be flexible and hold out for last minute bargains Opodo is definitely worth a look saving real money.

Opodo also offer a car hire and hotel booking service, but I've had no need to use these as yet. Quick comparisons with other providers suggest that the prices and options available are competitive.

Opodo is now my first point of call for cheap flight searches.