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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!ncsu!mauney
From: mauney@ncsu.UUCP (Jon Mauney)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: In defense of travel agents
Message-ID: <2729@ncsu.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 30-Nov-84 09:10:09 EST
Article-I.D.: ncsu.2729
Posted: Fri Nov 30 09:10:09 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 2-Dec-84 05:11:20 EST
References: <886@ihuxb.UUCP>, <3305@rabbit.UUCP>
Organization: N.C. State University, Raleigh
Lines: 24

> After many bad experiences (of the sort you describe) with travel
> agents, I ALWAYS make my own travel arrangements.
> ...
> Maybe an ultra competent travel agent would change my mind, but
> for now, I haven't found one that can do for me anything I can't do myself,
> and so travel agents head my list of useless professions.

It is true that you have to look around and find a good agent.  I have
spoken to agents that didn't seem to know how to look beyond the first
page on their computer screen to find anything out.  But a good agent
can do anything I can do, and faster.  The agent I deal with now generally
knows who has the best fares, without looking it up (he always double checks,
though).  Since he is in the business, he hears about new promotional fares
that I might overlook.  Since he is connected to a computerized reservation
system, he can tell me instantly whether the flight I want is available.
And since he doesn't represent any particular airline, he can search flights
on several carriers looking for the best combination of fare and flight-time.
It would take me a lot of phone calls and thumbing through the OAG to do
all the things a good travel agent can do.
-- 

_Doctor_                           Jon Mauney,    mcnc!ncsu!mauney
\__Mu__/                           North Carolina State University