Pilot vs. Travelocity in 2026: Which should you use?

Travelocity is built to book you a room, flight, or car. You can book your hotel through Pilot too, at private rates straight from hotels with real human support, and use it to plan your whole trip around the stay. Here is how they compare side by side.

Summary comparison of Pilot and Travelocity
 PilotTravelocity
Trustpilot rating4.4 ⭐1.4 ⭐
Member-only hotel ratesYesPrivate rates straight from hotels; Travelocity is known to mark prices up and add fees at checkoutYes
Itinerary builderYesBuild a flexible, multi-stop itinerary and reshape it however you want, from a rough idea to bookedNo
Customizable map pins and routesYesSee your whole trip on a map and make it yoursNo
Real-time collaborative editingYesPlan it together with your group in one shared tripNo
Notes and checklistsYesKeep notes, lists, and links right alongside the planNo
Pilot leads in all 5 shown2 more in the full comparison

Rated by 50,000+ travelers

  • 4.7
  • 4.8
  • 4.2
  • 4.4

As featured in

  • TechCrunch
  • WIRED
  • Washington Post
  • Forbes
  • Yahoo Finance
  • Morningstar
  • Vancouver Tech Journal

How does Pilot compare to Travelocity?

Travelocity is built to sell you a booking. Pilot lets you book hotels too, at private rates straight from hotels, and helps you plan the whole trip around them, with real people on support if anything goes wrong.

Feature comparison of Pilot and Travelocity by category
FeaturePilotTravelocity
Booking and savings
Member-only hotel ratesYesPrivate rates straight from hotels; Travelocity is known to mark prices up and add fees at checkoutYes
Book hotels in the appYesBook your stay at private rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, saved with the rest of your tripYes
Human supportYesReach a real person on our team in the in-app chat or by email, not an outsourced center or a botYes
Planning the whole trip
Itinerary builderYesBuild a flexible, multi-stop itinerary and reshape it however you want, from a rough idea to bookedNo
Customizable map pins and routesYesSee your whole trip on a map and make it yoursNo
Real-time collaborative editingYesPlan it together with your group in one shared tripNo
Notes and checklistsYesKeep notes, lists, and links right alongside the planNo

Why use Pilot over Travelocity

  • Reason #1

    Private rates straight from hotels

    Travelocity marks up prices, buries the checkout in fees and add-ons, and sells sponsored placement to whoever pays the most. With Pilot you get private 'book early' rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, so you often pay less than the public price, with no sponsored results.

    Learn more →
    Private rates straight from hotels
  • Reason #2

    Plan, save, and book in one place

    Plan, save, and book in one place. Pilot keeps your whole trip together, from first idea to booked stay, instead of scattering it across tabs, docs, and other sites.

    Learn more →
    Plan, save, and book in one place
  • Reason #3

    Flexible by design

    Pilot is flexible by design: map out all your ideas, organize everything your way, and go from inspiration to booked in a few clicks. Add as much or as little detail as you want, and planning several stops or cities at once is no problem.

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    Flexible by design
  • Reason #4

    Simple and fun, never overwhelming

    Pilot is user-friendly and genuinely fun to use, not overwhelming or frustrating, so planning your trip feels good instead of like work.

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    Simple and fun, never overwhelming
  • Reason #5

    Real people, when you need them

    Behind Pilot there are real people. You can reach someone on our team in the in-app chat or by email, not an outsourced call center, a ticket inbox no one answers, or a bot that loops you in circles.

    Learn more →
    Real people, when you need them

What do users say about Pilot (vs. Travelocity)?

Travelocity's app rates around 4.8 on iOS and 4.7 on Android. The picture changes on overall experience: on Trustpilot, which reflects how a company treats its customers, Travelocity sits around 1.4, with recurring complaints about charges added at checkout and refunds that are slow to arrive, while Pilot is rated 4.7 by 50,000+ travelers who point to having their whole trip in one place, planning together, and support that steps in.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nice consolidation tool for travel plan, tickets, etc. Me and my daughter can share a travel plan, and add the whole itinerary, with pre-booked tickets, daily excursion plans, etc. It makes organisation of the trip incredibly easy and all information between travelers are shared
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Went to Amsterdam for the first time. Loved having all the trip details located in one spot on my phone - maps, hotel, air, event tickets. I was able to to go the app and all the QR codes were right there. Also being able to share the app so we could each put in details was a great feature.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
His support was wonderful. Went extra mile to support us and getting us accommodated with the hotel. Really appreciate it. 5 stars service !!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
trustpilot logo
The Pilot Customer team is great. We had a minor issue with the hotel, and the Pilot team went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of well.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
trustpilot logo
First Pilot App Trip Used the Pilot app for a trip to Amsterdam and it was a great tool! We had our full itinerary with websites, tickets, hotel and air schedules. It was shareable so we could collaborate while planning. It's also printable in case of phone issues. The map function was great in planning to help us decide what to do each day and what area we would be in. Will definitely be using it again for future trips.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
How disappointed would you be if you could no longer use Pilot?: Very Disappointed. What is the main benefit you get from Pilot?: Centralised planning for family
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I travel regularly for both work and for fun, and Pilot really helps me stay organised, ensures I don't miss anything and gives me a constant point of reference to come back to for the various details required both before and during travel. When I'm travelling with friends, being able to invite them into the trip and see all of the details that I would normally have to send to them in a god send! Apart from the practical side, the visual experience is very nice and adds a great touch to trip planning.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
trustpilot logo
Great way to keep your trip organized! Helpful planning tools and easy to use!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ios logo
AI trip planner & flight deals Like notion and Google ads, perfect for planing your trip and being assisted by AI for amazing recommendations

Should you choose Pilot or Travelocity?

Choose Pilot if

  • You want to book hotels at private rates straight from hotels, with real support
  • You want to plan the whole trip, not just complete a booking
  • You want one place for your plans, your group, and your stay
  • You want it free, with results ranked for you, not for whoever pays the most

Choose Travelocity if

  • You want to book flights, a rental car, or a cruise alongside your hotel, which Pilot doesn't offer yet.
  • You're collecting Travelocity Rewards cash-back and prefer a familiar US brand.

Still deciding?

Plan a trip in Pilot for free and see how it compares for yourself.

What Pilot can do that Travelocity can't

  • Build a flexible day-by-day itinerary, not just a booking
  • Map your whole trip and see it all laid out
  • Plan it together with your group in one shared trip
  • Keep your plans, notes, and booking together in one trip

Common questions about Pilot vs. Travelocity

What is Travelocity?

Travelocity is an online travel agency. People use it to book hotels, flights, rental cars, and packages on one site. It is built to complete a booking rather than plan the trip around it, and it books as a middleman rather than directly with the hotel.

What is Pilot?

Pilot is a trip booking and planning app. You plan the whole trip in one place, a flexible itinerary, a map of your stops, and notes, and you book your hotel in the app at private rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents. Where Travelocity completes a booking, Pilot plans the whole trip around the stay, instantly reserves your room with its hotel partners and has a real person confirm each booking with the hotel, and keeps the planner free.

Is Travelocity legit?

Yes, Travelocity is a real and long-running booking site. It launched in 1996 and is now part of Expedia Group, so its hotel, flight, and car inventory comes from the same source as Expedia and Hotels.com. The thing to watch is not whether it is legit but how it is rated by customers: Travelocity sits around 1.4 on Trustpilot, where reviews reflect how a company treats people after the sale, with recurring complaints about charges added at checkout and slow refunds. Pilot is a newer trip-planning and hotel-booking app rated 4.7 by 50,000+ travelers, and it lets you book your stay at a private rate straight from the hotel, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, and real people on support.

Is Travelocity free to use?

Browsing and booking on Travelocity is free; like any online travel agency it earns its money from the bookings themselves, through commissions, markups baked into the price, and fees that can appear at checkout, plus sponsored placement from properties that pay to rank higher. Pilot is free too, including the entire trip-planning suite, and it earns from hotels when you book rather than from charging you to plan. The difference for your wallet is at checkout: Pilot lets you book at a private rate straight from the hotel, while Travelocity is built to sell you the booking.

How does Travelocity make money?

Travelocity earns commissions on every hotel, flight, car, and cruise it sells, marks prices up, can add fees at checkout, and sells sponsored placement to properties that want to appear higher in results, which is why the top option is not always the best deal for you. It also runs Travelocity Rewards, a cash-back program that keeps you booking through the site. Pilot earns from hotels when you book directly and does not sell sponsored placement, so results are ranked for you, not for whoever pays the most, and the planner stays free.

Can you book hotels on Travelocity?

Yes. Travelocity lets you book hotels directly, along with flights, rental cars, cruises, and packages, drawing on Expedia Group's inventory. Pilot lets you book hotels directly too, over 3,000,000 of them, at private rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents,. The honest difference is scope: Travelocity also books flights and cars, which Pilot does not. Where Pilot wins is the hotel booking itself, a private rate reserved instantly with hotel partners and confirmed with the hotel by a real person, plus a whole trip planned around it and real support if something goes wrong.

Does Travelocity charge hidden fees?

Travelocity is widely reported to mark prices up and add charges at checkout, like service fees, resort fees, or taxes that were not obvious when you started, and refunds can take a while. That pattern shows up in its roughly 1.4 Trustpilot score. Pilot lets you book your stay at a private rate straight from the hotel, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, with no sponsored results, and you can always reach a real person on our team if a charge looks wrong.

Is Pilot a good Travelocity alternative?

For booking hotels and planning the trip, yes, with one honest caveat. Pilot lets you book hotels like Travelocity does, but at private rates straight from hotels, the kind usually reserved for travel agents, with no sponsored results, and with real people on support instead of an outsourced center. On top of booking, Pilot helps you plan your whole trip: a flexible day-by-day itinerary, a map, notes, and real-time collaboration with your group, which Travelocity does not do. The caveat: Travelocity also books flights, rental cars, and cruises and draws on Expedia Group's larger inventory, so if you need all of those in one app it still has a role. For planning a trip and booking the stay, Pilot does more, for free.

Travelocity vs Pilot: which should I use?

Use Pilot to plan a trip and book the stay: private rates straight from hotels, real support, and your whole trip, the plans, the group, and the booking, in one place, for free. Use Travelocity if you need to book flights, rental cars, or cruises alongside a hotel in a single app and you are willing to accept the markups, checkout fees, and slow refunds that tend to come with it. For the hotel and the planning, Pilot lets you book at a private rate straight from the hotel and keeps the whole trip together, which a booking-only site does not.

Plan your next trip with Pilot

Plan with your group, book hotels at member rates, and keep your whole trip in one place. Completely free.

Last updated: 
June 5, 2026