Business History Books » Business Plans » Why are Travel Agents hated???
Why are Travel Agents hated???
Question:
> 3. Every TA I’ve dealt with has sent me my tickets by the same US mail > service as airlines. So far none have gotten lost. And, if any ever do, > the recourse would be identical, I should think. (That is, I don’t pay for > what I haven’t received.) Since I always buy tickets well in advance, > delivery time is not of the essence.
Some TAs try to outdo the airlines — by offering free FEDex, or whatever. Some of them are good about delivering the tix to an interoffice mail stream. Of course, with E-tix, domestic flights don’t matter.But with international tickets, this can be a valuable service. Of course, TAs seem to screw up the "on-time" delivery part alot. > 4. When I’ve had to change tickets (e.g. when the price dropped), going > to the airline office is really quite simple for me — I live 3 blocks from > one of US’s Philadelphia offices and from most other airline offices that > I’m likely to use.
For most of my life I lived very far from cities — and getting to the airport was at leasta 1/2 a day affair. So, travel agents were the only way to go. In a couple of weeks I will be living in spitting distance from the airport… so it is differnt for different people. dave — Dave Case To prevent spammers, please remove the one of the Ss from my address when replying.
Response:
> You sound like a good TA indeed and I’ve made a note of your email > address for future reference. One little point, however: When you > say that no customer ever found a lower fare than you, how do you > know that? Has it never happened that someone asked you for a quote > and then didn’t buy a ticket? If so, it MAY be the case that they > found a lower fare and booked it themselves. I know that, when I’ve > checked with a TA and was given a higher quote than I could otherwise > get, I simply said thanks and bye. After all, if I’m going to have to > do all the work and then bargain them down each time, what’s the > point? Just my 2 cents…
The point is that if you had given info that you had found to the TA then you probably could have bought/paid for/received your tickets for the same price all in a 10 minute time frame. Vs. Calling the airline, waiting on hold, giving them you CC info over the phone and then having to wait for your tickets which can potentially get lost or stolen in the mail or having to go to the airport or CTO. Travel agents are there more for convenience than price. Almost any TA can get you the same price as any other. Except in cases where certain agencies have overrides and may be cutting their commissionj.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> You sound like a good TA indeed and I’ve made a note of your email > address for future reference. One little point, however: When you > say that no customer ever found a lower fare than you, how do you > know that? Has it never happened that someone asked you for a quote > and then didn’t buy a ticket? If so, it MAY be the case that they > found a lower fare and booked it themselves. I know that, when I’ve > checked with a TA and was given a higher quote than I could otherwise > get, I simply said thanks and bye. After all, if I’m going to have to > do all the work and then bargain them down each time, what’s the > point? Just my 2 cents… >The point is that if you had given info that you had found to the TA >then you probably could have bought/paid for/received your tickets for >the same price all in a 10 minute time frame. Vs. Calling the airline, >waiting on hold, giving them you CC info over the phone and then having >to wait for your tickets which can potentially get lost or stolen in the >mail or having to go to the airport or CTO.
Sorry, that’s just not going to be compelling. 1. Each ticket-buying interaction I’ve had with an airline over the phone has been faster than ANY ticket-buying interaction I’ve ever had with a TA — much less time on hold, the airline is never ‘away from his/her desk’, never ‘on vacation this week’, never ‘doesn’t work here anymore’… 2. Giving them my name, address, seating preferences (which vary from flight to flight anyway), AmEx number, and FF number is really not terribly taxing, even for a lazy person like me. 3. Every TA I’ve dealt with has sent me my tickets by the same US mail service as airlines. So far none have gotten lost. And, if any ever do, the recourse would be identical, I should think. (That is, I don’t pay for what I haven’t received.) Since I always buy tickets well in advance, delivery time is not of the essence. 4. When I’ve had to change tickets (e.g. when the price dropped), going to the airline office is really quite simple for me — I live 3 blocks from one of US’s Philadelphia offices and from most other airline offices that I’m likely to use. > Travel agents are there more for convenience than price. Almost any TA >can get you the same price as any other. Except in cases where certain >agencies have overrides and may be cutting their commissionj.
I think the point that many here have been trying to make is that we’ve found *no convenience* in using TAs. And that goes even for ones that do not charge for their services (which I frankly find stunning when what they’re buying for a client brings them a commission). If I were a TA dealing with the public (rather than a corporation) and not on the verge of retirement, I think I’d really want to take this seriously. HTH.
Response:
You sound like a good TA indeed and I’ve made a note of your email address for future reference. One little point, however: When you say that no customer ever found a lower fare than you, how do you know that? Has it never happened that someone asked you for a quote and then didn’t buy a ticket? If so, it MAY be the case that they found a lower fare and booked it themselves. I know that, when I’ve checked with a TA and was given a higher quote than I could otherwise get, I simply said thanks and bye. After all, if I’m going to have to do all the work and then bargain them down each time, what’s the point? Just my 2 cents… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Wow. >As a TA, I read these posts with very mixed feelings. I had no idea >that, if these posts are accurate, my brethren in the field are so >inept and poorly thought of. On the other hand, it makes me feel >pretty good, since I give awesome service by comparison. I should >hope so, after 16 years of doing it. >Unless the airlines figure out a way to sell everything direct more >cheaply (and I don’t think they can, with their union-scale help), >there will always be a place for a good full-service agent. >I honestly cannot remember the last time a client came up with a lower >fare by shopping himself than I can, other than the weekly internet >fares…which I will advise someone of if asked. I can also offer >lower fares through various wholesale means and other tricks. An >example…you need to go to Tampa for a couple of days business >without a Sat. stay? Airlines offer you full coach fares. I book it >as a fly-drive and bingo! It’s a 2-night minimum stay and the car is >virtually free. I can also give you the benefit of negotiated car >rental and hotel rates, immediate faxed or emailed itineraries, and >$100k in free insurance. I keep all of your info in a profile, so >nothing is missed. I do charge a fee, $10 a ticket. In my heart I >believe I am worth it. >I am not in my office 24/7. But my website is available for bookings >24/7, and guess what? I waive the $10, ’cause you did the work. Your >fare is still rechecked daily, and your ticket automatically reissued >if warranted. If I know of something better than what you’ve booked >on the website, I call you with the info. >Do you really think I am hated? I hope not.
.
Response:
Wow. As a TA, I read these posts with very mixed feelings. I had no idea that, if these posts are accurate, my brethren in the field are so inept and poorly thought of. On the other hand, it makes me feel pretty good, since I give awesome service by comparison. I should hope so, after 16 years of doing it. Unless the airlines figure out a way to sell everything direct more cheaply (and I don’t think they can, with their union-scale help), there will always be a place for a good full-service agent. I honestly cannot remember the last time a client came up with a lower fare by shopping himself than I can, other than the weekly internet fares…which I will advise someone of if asked. I can also offer lower fares through various wholesale means and other tricks. An example…you need to go to Tampa for a couple of days business without a Sat. stay? Airlines offer you full coach fares. I book it as a fly-drive and bingo! It’s a 2-night minimum stay and the car is virtually free. I can also give you the benefit of negotiated car rental and hotel rates, immediate faxed or emailed itineraries, and $100k in free insurance. I keep all of your info in a profile, so nothing is missed. I do charge a fee, $10 a ticket. In my heart I believe I am worth it. I am not in my office 24/7. But my website is available for bookings 24/7, and guess what? I waive the $10, ’cause you did the work. Your fare is still rechecked daily, and your ticket automatically reissued if warranted. If I know of something better than what you’ve booked on the website, I call you with the info. Do you really think I am hated? I hope not.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – ><snip> >If I were shopping for a home, I’d use a realtor. For the sames >reason I choose to use a TA. >The parallel is actually a very good one — and one of the >reasons I do NOT use a TA as a rule and do NOT depend on a >realtor when buying a house — both the TA and the realtor are >agents of the SELLER. And both typically work by a percentage >commission on the sale price, meaning the higher the price, >the more they make. (I am not talking about the very raree >’buyers’ agents’ that have cropped up in some locales in recent >years for real estate. But I’ve never found any use for them >either, as a buyer.)
I agree with this 100%. I find that both realtors and travel agents are an impediment to my goals. They have their own agenda which, as was stated above, is at odds with mine. They need to maximize their revenue while expending the least amount of energy and/or time while doing so. I, on the other hand, want to minimize their revenue and get the maximum service. — Steve Of all tyrannies a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." * C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)
Response:
> > People will spend hours fumbling with travel web sites, the airlines > own anemic sites, or trying to get thru to airline reservations . > What’s wrong with travel agents?? Why does the public hate to make > that painless call to a good travel agent that can typically save > time, money, and hassle?
I generally do my investigation of fares by telephone with the airlines. Though if there are too many to check I find the agent is useful. If I book with the airline, I have my agent do the ticketing. They get a commission. I would rather that the money stay in my community, rather than remaining with the airline. There is one thing my agent gets for me that I don’t know where to get elsewhere. At both Phildelphia and Newark airports I get a night of hotel plus extended parking for not much more than long term parking would cost. I find it very handy, particularly for morning flights. — Music is the language of the gods. Jerry M. Bank Trenton, NJ
Response:
> People will spend hours fumbling with travel web sites, the airlines > own anemic sites, or trying to get thru to airline reservations . > What’s wrong with travel agents?? Why does the public hate to make > that painless call to a good travel agent that can typically save > time, money, and hassle?
The buggers are unfortunately prone to bend the truth from time to time!! I prefer to research my intended trip myself; THEN approach the TA as an informed consumer.Cheers, Paul.
Response:
> > I guess I’m just fortunate enough to have a good TA. > Would you TA do these things for everyone — maybe you can post its info. > dave
I’ll do that for mine, for what it’s worth: Gateway Travel Management Pittsburgh, PA 412-661-2600 (I think the 800 number is the same, 800-661-2600, but I’m not 100% sure.) www.gatewaytravel.com (I think that’s the address; their site has some info about services plus booking through ITN which I never use.) Known services that don’t seem typical of travel agents: -detailed profiles with airline, hotel, car rental, etc. prefs, FF numbers (and other incentive plan numbers), seating prefs, payment method (if you like) and probably more that I’m forgetting -quick fax confirmation of itinerary -staffed after-hours service (you don’t get a person as quickly, but that’s been my experience with airline numbers, too) -computerized continuous checking of fares/automatic ticket reissue if fare drops enough -all agents have 10+ years experience -you don’t have to wait for a specific agent, but barring something unusual you will be connected to the same group of 4 or 5 agents each time. You get a special number (661-26xx) that connects you directly to that group, and usually it’s one of them who picks up the phone when you call. Occasionally I get a receptionist and have to wait a minute or two. They have an excellent system in place; I have called later to inquire about something, talked to a different person who had nothing to do with my reservation and had them answer my question right away. -agents are paid on straight salary, not comission A few things they’ve done: -reissued tickets whose fares dropped within a day or two without charging me the $75 fee -totally cancelled a supposedly already purchased non-refundable ticket (the same day or possibly next day) -got me a great rate at a high-end hotel in Tokyo ($250 vs $400) -booked a consolidator ticket on United (IAD-AMS at Xmas) that earned FF miles and saved me $100 (They used TA-only consolidator American Airplan.) -immediately enrolled people in the airline’s FF plan Other stuff: -Their main system is based on Apollo, but they book Southwest tickets. -They possibly do FedEx at no extra charge, but I’ve never tried it. I live in town, so they deliver via their own courier. How I use the service: -I book travel for a small company. I enjoy seeking out my own info, at least for flights, so I check on my flight times and fares first, then call them, say what I want and they’ve always had the same fare or lower. -I’ve done some of my (much less frequent) personal stuff with them. -I’m mainly interested in the extra checking they do, especially since they do it with no perceptable extra cost to me. Caveat: -The number I call is technically the corporate travel department. I call it for my personal stuff, too, but I don’t know how they deal with people who call only for leisure. I do know the leisure staff (I did talk to them for the consolidator ticket) has all the other specialists at their disposal for extra help. (They have some people who specialize in certain areas; the person who helped me with the Tokyo hotel is an international specialist.) As always, individual mileage can vary. — Greg Pacek | when I think I hear people say Pittsburgh, PA, USA | things. More I cannot say."
Response:
> But my main reasons for not using a TA are simply that (a)there > is generally nothing I need them for and (b)on the few occasions > where they would have come in handy (e.g. for Africa, where I > started the planning in total ignorance), I couldn’t find a good > one that served my purposes.
It is so true that many agents proport to be "experts." Yet they only know how to reserve the"normal hotels." And can’t do anything even slightly fancy (like arrangin private airport transfers.) > Btw, about a half hour ago, my husband called to ask me to get > him a plane ticket. I checked a few Websites, found the flights > I wanted and the lowest fare, called US, did not spend one > second on hold, and bought the ticket and got seat assignments in > a matter of moments. And this is late morning on a weekday, > presumably one of the busier times for such transactions. (If I’d > wanted to book on the Web, I could have gotten it $10 cheaper on > www.netmarket.com — but I prefer to book directly with the > airline on the phone.) In what way would a TA have been better?
Travel agent would probably have told you to "come back tomorrow" when they could print the ticket. > Practically the only times I’ve NOT been on hold with a TA was > when I was told outright that they’re out of the office and will > get back to me — and sometimes I’ve been on hold and only THEN > told that they’re ‘away from their desk’. And, so far, no airline > has made a mistake in booking a ticket for me, knock on wood, while > more than one TA has…
its amazing the things agents can do. From hand-written tickets, to the many excuses why "althought the ticket is written, I can’t give it to you." > And I’ve never had a problem en route that a TA could have helped > me with, knock on wood. Actually, the only possible TA-related > problem I remember ever having was deciding after a Bombay-Jaipur > flight on Indian Airlines that I didn’t want to fly from Jaipur to > Delhi. Upon arrival in Jaipur it took about a half hour to cancel > our (refundable) Jaipur-Delhi flights and book a car/driver for the > trip to Delhi. Even if a TA in the US could have done that for me, > I’d have had to wait many hours to get thru to him/her, given the time > difference. And the call would not have been cheap.
I have seen many American agents say that they ‘can handle everything.’ But when it comes to things like this, they seem to be lacking dave — Dave Case To prevent spammers, please remove the one of the Ss from my address when replying.
Response:
> I guess I’m just fortunate enough to have a good TA.
Would you TA do these things for everyone — maybe you can post its info. dave — Dave Case To prevent spammers, please remove the one of the Ss from my address when replying.
Response:
> People will spend hours fumbling with travel web sites, the airlines > own anemic sites, or trying to get thru to airline reservations . > What’s wrong with travel agents?? Why does the public hate to make > that painless call to a good travel agent that can typically save > time, money, and hassle?
There was a time many years ago when travel agents actually traveled for themselves and knew which hotels were good, which airports were convenient to connect through, etc. Today, the norm at the large, corporate-oriented travel agencies is a poorly paid, inexperienced data entry operator who knows far less than you, cannot offer advice, and is prone to make mistakes. Anyone reasonably adept with a computer and the Internet can get by himself or herself 95-99% of what the data entry operator at a travel agent can get. In short, the value is zero. Travel agents are an anachronism and won’t survive long into the 21st century.
Response:
DF> What’s wrong with travel agents?? Why does the public hate to make DF> that painless call to a good travel agent that can typically save DF> time, money, and hassle? When FAXing complete flight information, both FF#s, and a specific request to be placed in the same reservation record results in: 1) an attempt to reroute us through a different hub 2) one FF# being listed on both reservations and 3) the tickets being booked on separate reservation records I think we’re allowed to be a little skeptical about how much "time, money, and hassle" we’re supposedly saving. It’s easier to click-click and get E tickets, booked the way we want ‘em… — Geographic locations in DNS! <URL: http://www.kei.com/homepages/ckd/dns-loc/ >
Response:
>What’s wrong with travel agents?? Why does the public hate to make >that painless call to a good travel agent that can typically save >time, money, and hassle?
I’d love to answer this in depth, but I’m already working on a travel Web site that discusses this at length. Briefly: * Typically, I have had to call a travel agent and either wait on hold (which I hate, you may not mind) for 5 or 10 minutes to speak with someone or else have them call me back, and then wait anywhere from minutes to hours for an answer to my inquiry (which may in fact be a very simple one). * I have not been able to find a "good" travel agent, either by trial and error or by referral. The times when I have used a travel agent for inquiries, I have been able to do just as well or better by doing my own travel planning. In some cases, I have saved friends a lot of money by suggesting fares & itineraries that the travel agents have somehow overlooked. * Travel agent’s aren’t open when I do my travel planning. The bulk of them are open from 9 to 6 Monday thru Friday, which happens to be when I work. In the past, I’ve actually had to leave work early to get to the travel agent’s office before they close or else travel out of my way to the agent that is open until 9. The online CRS’s are open and available 24 hours a day, every day. This has enabled me to get flights & fares I would have lost if I had to wait until business hours the next day. * Travel agents are not very amenable to "what-if?" travel planning; they’re best when you know specifically when and where you want to go. I prefer to check several different destinations over several different dates to find out where the good travel opportunities are. If I called a travel agent for the same info, it could take up a lot of the agent’s time with no guarantee that the results would be something worth actually booking. Computers don’t care how much of their time I waste. * I enjoy the level of information and control I get by doing my own travel planning. I get to see almost everything the travel agent sees–which flights are available, where their connections are, what equipment the flights use, and which specific seat assignments are available. Bottom line, no travel agent I have encountered so far is willing (or likely able, for that matter) to spend as much time or effort as I am to get the best fare and itinerary for my needs. Using a travel agent would save me time, but in my experience it would not have saved me money or yielded a better itinerary for me. Which is not to say that travel agents are not useful. I am using the services of several travel agents in finding accommodations for an upcoming trip to London. I’ve done some research myself, and it remains to be seen whether these agents will be able to do better. If so, it will encourage me to use travel agents more; if not it will encourage me to keep doing my own travel planning. — mikew 99 @ hotmail.com
Response:
I guess I’m just fortunate enough to have a good TA. A simple 5 minute phone call gives me the best fares, and all the other arrangements. If I have a problem (rare) they will fix it enroute. I’ve even had non-refunadable tickets refunded due to some accounting tricks that they know. In addition they have more clout with hotels and airlines than I do as a lone consumer should there be disputes.. As for vacation travel they will send me gobs of literature. If I were shopping for a home, I’d use a realtor. For the sames reason I choose to use a TA. I guess they key is to shop around for a good one and use them consistantly. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> People will spend hours fumbling with travel web sites, the airlines > own anemic sites, or trying to get thru to airline reservations . > What’s wrong with travel agents?? Why does the public hate to make > that painless call to a good travel agent that can typically save > time, money, and hassle? >Why? >I went to AAA in Orange County last weekend looking for a vacation place >that catered to families, although mine is a little disfunctional. >The rep was not helpful at all, could not make a recommendation, did not >bother to refer us to anyone else, and could not answer any questions we >had about major resorts in Jamaica. >It is much easier and more convenient (24 X 7) to use the internet. >Not only that, internet specials give great rates. >I get bonus miles for booking online, I can make my own FF upgrades >online (AA). >I find far more info online from far more people than I can ever get >from a travel agent. >Now, guess why I buy stock online instead of calling a broker. >Michael
Response:
dc> People will spend hours fumbling with travel web sites, the airlines dc> own anemic sites, or trying to get thru to airline reservations . dc> What’s wrong with travel agents?? Why does the public hate to make dc> that painless call to a good travel agent that can typically save dc> time, money, and hassle? You’re making the presumption that there are good travel agents. Which I’m sure there are. I just haven’t found one yet. The travel agent I deal with for work is utterly useless. They book my husband and I in seperate reservations records, which means if we’re on a flight with an equipment change we get seated seperately. They also have no concept of maintaining records at their office for either of us. Every time I book a trip with them I send the frequent flyer numbers and they STILL manage to mess them up. Of course, there are some things that ONLY travel agents can do. Like right now I’m looking for a consolidator for Continental or American (anybody have any leads?) for a trip Cleveland -> either Chicago or Newark -> Birmingham Int’l (UK). I still haven’t found one (a consolidator, I mean). [So if anybody has any leads, drop me a line!] Most agents aren’t there at 10 or 11pm (when I typically make most of my travel arrangements). Why should I have to wait until "business hours" when I have my plans firmed up at that time? If I wait until the next day the fare may have changed! I do all of my own legwork. I research the fares, book the tickets, reserve the car (if any), and reserve the airline seats. In return for this, I *know* that the outcome will be what I wanted — or if it isn’t, why not, because I *know* what I’ve asked for. Why do some travel agents have such a hard time in understanding that "the pair" means the pair of seats in a 767, Tristar, or DC9/MD80? When I ask for the pair, I want the *pair*, dammit, not just two seats together. You have no idea how much it freaks out travel agents that I know the equipment type before they do 
"I’d like the pair on the first leg" "well, I think that plane is 6 across, 3, an aisle, and 3. oh, no, you’re right, it’s a 767…". Well of course, I did my research. It’s my flight. My choosing. My responsibility. My problem. –Helen
Response:
<snip> >If I were shopping for a home, I’d use a realtor. For the sames >reason I choose to use a TA.
The parallel is actually a very good one — and one of the reasons I do NOT use a TA as a rule and do NOT depend on a realtor when buying a house — both the TA and the realtor are agents of the SELLER. And both typically work by a percentage commission on the sale price, meaning the higher the price, the more they make. (I am not talking about the very raree ‘buyers’ agents’ that have cropped up in some locales in recent years for real estate. But I’ve never found any use for them either, as a buyer.) But my main reasons for not using a TA are simply that (a)there is generally nothing I need them for and (b)on the few occasions where they would have come in handy (e.g. for Africa, where I started the planning in total ignorance), I couldn’t find a good one that served my purposes. Btw, about a half hour ago, my husband called to ask me to get him a plane ticket. I checked a few Websites, found the flights I wanted and the lowest fare, called US, did not spend one second on hold, and bought the ticket and got seat assignments in a matter of moments. And this is late morning on a weekday, presumably one of the busier times for such transactions. (If I’d wanted to book on the Web, I could have gotten it $10 cheaper on www.netmarket.com — but I prefer to book directly with the airline on the phone.) In what way would a TA have been better? Practically the only times I’ve NOT been on hold with a TA was when I was told outright that they’re out of the office and will get back to me — and sometimes I’ve been on hold and only THEN told that they’re ‘away from their desk’. And, so far, no airline has made a mistake in booking a ticket for me, knock on wood, while more than one TA has… As for a TA being able to cancel a nonrefundable ticket, has that ever happened after the ticket has been issued? I’ve been able on more than one occasion to cancel a reservation for a nonrefundable ticket before it’s been written up, dealing directly with the airline. If you can do that with the ticket already issued, then you do indeed have a resourceful TA. Fortunately for me, my wanting to cancel a nonrefundable reservation is VERY rare — like maybe three times in my life so far and never after the ticket has been issued. And I’ve never had a problem en route that a TA could have helped me with, knock on wood. Actually, the only possible TA-related problem I remember ever having was deciding after a Bombay-Jaipur flight on Indian Airlines that I didn’t want to fly from Jaipur to Delhi. Upon arrival in Jaipur it took about a half hour to cancel our (refundable) Jaipur-Delhi flights and book a car/driver for the trip to Delhi. Even if a TA in the US could have done that for me, I’d have had to wait many hours to get thru to him/her, given the time difference. And the call would not have been cheap. I’m not trying to tell you to stop using a TA, just explaining why I for one do not.
Response:
How do you come up with this opinion?
: People will spend hours fumbling with travel web sites, the airlines : own anemic sites, or trying to get thru to airline reservations . : What’s wrong with travel agents?? Why does the public hate to make : that painless call to a good travel agent that can typically save : time, money, and hassle? — Hassan Alam
Response:
>People will spend hours fumbling with travel web sites, the airlines >own anemic sites, or trying to get thru to airline reservations . >What’s wrong with travel agents?? Why does the public hate to make >that painless call to a good travel agent that can typically save >time, money, and hassle?
I think you missed the thread about a week ago that described exactly why. For many arrangements, the TAs don’t save the passengers money and take more time to offer up less satisfactory results. There’s no "hate" in the matter; I’ve just found it doesn’t make sense to use them for my travel. Now that you mention it, I’ve always gotten through to an airline quicker than to the TAs I’ve dealt with down here. Deborah Stevenson
Response:
People will spend hours fumbling with travel web sites, the airlines own anemic sites, or trying to get thru to airline reservations . What’s wrong with travel agents?? Why does the public hate to make that painless call to a good travel agent that can typically save time, money, and hassle?
Response:
> People will spend hours fumbling with travel web sites, the airlines > own anemic sites, or trying to get thru to airline reservations . > What’s wrong with travel agents?? Why does the public hate to make > that painless call to a good travel agent that can typically save > time, money, and hassle?
Well, at the risk of trying to summarize the long thread that will follow. First — often travel agents can’t get the best rates. The absolute cheapest rates are never found in what is most profitable for the agent. Second — a lot of times travel agents are incompetant, and it is often easier to fumble, than it is to try and fail to find the "perfect agent." Third — Some agents really pretend to know about stuff when they don’t. Especially in obscure areas of the world. Fourth — some agents charge dave — Dave Case To prevent spammers, please remove the one of the Ss from my address when replying.
Response:
> People will spend hours fumbling with travel web sites, the airlines > own anemic sites, or trying to get thru to airline reservations . > What’s wrong with travel agents?? Why does the public hate to make > that painless call to a good travel agent that can typically save > time, money, and hassle?
Why? I went to AAA in Orange County last weekend looking for a vacation place that catered to families, although mine is a little disfunctional. The rep was not helpful at all, could not make a recommendation, did not bother to refer us to anyone else, and could not answer any questions we had about major resorts in Jamaica. It is much easier and more convenient (24 X 7) to use the internet. Not only that, internet specials give great rates. I get bonus miles for booking online, I can make my own FF upgrades online (AA). I find far more info online from far more people than I can ever get from a travel agent. Now, guess why I buy stock online instead of calling a broker. Michael
Response:
> People will spend hours fumbling with travel web sites, the airlines > own anemic sites, or trying to get thru to airline reservations . > What’s wrong with travel agents?? Why does the public hate to make > that painless call to a good travel agent that can typically save > time, money, and hassle?
I certainly don’t have this opinion; I think I’ve found the best travel agency in the world for what I need them for. That said, I *still* poke around at easySabre to find the flight times I want and see what the fare is. Then I call the travel agent. I tell them the flight, dates, etc., and they confirm the fare (or sometimes have a lower one.) They book my ticket and fax me an itinerary. The ticket arrives whenever I want by their own courier (or I sometimes use an e-ticket.) Now, what is there in the above that I can’t get from the airline directly? Nothing, really, which is why people shy away from agents. Many have had negative dealings with incompetent agents and therefore prefer to stick with what they know. I agree that agents can save you time, money and hassle. I know with the agency I use it is especially true. Having courier hand delivery makes changing a ticket (or "downgrading" or whatever) much less of a hassle because they will come pick it up. They have a sophisticated system that tracks fares and looks for a lower one even after I’ve already purchased a ticket. They’ve gotten me out of paying the change fees when a fare drops within a day or two. And they’ve even cancelled a non-refundable ticket a day later so I could buy a ticket on a totally different airline. You can’t get that kind of service on your own with the airlines and web sites. That’s the reason I use a travel agency. But that kind of service is overkill for many leisure travellers. To go back to your statement, I hardly think that this top-notch service is "typically" the case. I think there are more mediocre and incompetent travel agents and agencies than really excellent ones. You have to seek them out. I consider myself lucky that such an agency exists locally, though there are likely similar agencies in other large cities. And with agents/agencies beginning to charge for their services (this one still doesn’t so far), you really have to find an excellent one for it to be worth it at all. This is why many simply do not bother. If you travel enough (or book others’ travel enough), though, and you can find that excellent agent, it really can be worth the effort. — Greg Pacek | when I think I hear people say Pittsburgh, PA, USA | things. More I cannot say."