--- Matthew Montano <mmontano@direct.ca> wrote: > My (partial) list of services that travel agents > have provided that you > can't get from a web-site or a single airline. > ..I beg to differ, my wife and I go to Zurich on a $409 (including taxes and junk fees) for a week on a consolidator fare found on the Internet..... Bryant Petitt Cumming, GA > 1) Consolidator fares. UAL wants $2400, Consolidator > fare for same > flights $1000. Duhhh. > > 2) On fares between $400-$3000 my travel agent > CONTINUALLY beats the > best fare from www.itasoftware.com, www.ual.com, > www.orbitz.com, > www.tripeze.com, www.qixo.com, www.expedia.com WELL > in excess of any > ticket issue fee (in most cases 2x and 3x) > > 3) Rental car rates, hotel rates the web sites can't > even touch. (and I > DO check.) > > 4) Travel agents can tell you how full a flight is, > in what fare classes > etc. Web-sites and airlines won't. > > 5) Travel agents have the best user-interface in the > world -> The human > voice. > > 6) Ever shopped for competitive travel insurance on > the web? Agents can > handle it with ease. > > 7) Some airlines and fares can't even be booked > online in conjunction > with other travel (Tobago Express.) > > 8) One point of contact for a complete, complex, > interline travel. (UAL > won't touch an AC res, and can't even SEE an AA > one.) > > Dealing with a web-site or an airline by > airline/hotel by hotel basis is > a self-service concept. It, for a good amount of > travel, is not the > cheapest or best service model. With well over 60% > of the market capable > of self-service for travel, less than 25% actually > do it. That's a bit > of a gap. > > SABRE and it's compadre's have been built over forty > years, it's quite > premature to think the entire model can be replaced > in a matter of a few > years. > > Matthew > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: The Airline List > [mailto:AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU] On > > Behalf Of Aviatsiya aviatsiya.ru > > Sent: March 28, 2002 7:33 AM > > To: AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU > > Subject: Re: Airline Travel Agent Commissions > > > > > > Mark, I understand that you always have your > clients > > interests first, but what type of after-sales > "service" do > > you provide to ensure your customers are happy? > What do you > > do if they aren't happy, to ensure they come back? > > > > Cheers > > > > Scotty ;-) > > > > <<I ALWAYS have my clients interest as my first > priority > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Greetings - send holiday greetings for Easter, Passover http://greetings.yahoo.com/