Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!sdcrdcf!sdcsvax!dcdwest!ittvax!decvax!cca!ima!haddock!johnl From: johnl@haddock.UUCP Newsgroups: net.consumers Subject: Re: 'Travel Agencies' - (nf) Message-ID: <190@haddock.UUCP> Date: Thu, 21-Jun-84 02:37:05 EDT Article-I.D.: haddock.190 Posted: Thu Jun 21 02:37:05 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jun-84 05:08:12 EDT Lines: 23 #R:drux3:-118100:haddock:29800003:000:1144 haddock!johnl Jun 13 21:47:00 1984 There's no magic to locating a good travel agent. They're just like the rest of us -- some are smarter than others. I've looked around until I found one who didn't panic when I started looking over his shoulder when he was making reservations and pointing out stuff in the book that he hadn't noticed. A problem these days, though, is that they all have these new online reservation computers. Now we hackers know enough never to believe what a computer tells us, but most agents have not yet developed an appropriately cynical attitude. The reservation computers are all owned by one airline or another (mostly American around here, United, Delta, and Eastern in other parts of the country) and are, as their owners admit, programmed to bias what they say in favor of the owning airline and their friends. I subscribe to the pocket edition of the Official Airline Guide which costs about $48/year and is worth every penny, since it lists all of the flights in chronological order. It comes monthly and comes with Frequent Flyer magazine which is amazingly good if you care about the commercial air travel scene. John Levine, ima!johnl