Why you might want to be wary of booking travel through a third-party site

An American Airlines jet at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Travel experts say it's usually safer to book flights directly through the airlines than through a third-party vendor. — (Max Faulkner/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS)

Travelers have come to rely on the convenience and savings of bundling packages at online travel agencies like Expedia, Travelocity and Priceline.

This year, these third-party websites have been hit by the same wave of airline flight changes and cancellations that are broadly disrupting travel.