Travel agents have expertise and industry connections. Better yet are local
travel agents who have gateway specific knowledge. For example, they know if an
airline is running a deal out of a nearby airport. They know if there is a new
airline in town. And they know if that new airline is likely to go out of
business in a month.
Let's look at a scenario. You want to go away somewhere warm and cheap. You
don't care where. At the same time, a hotel company is trying to boost US travel
to one of their beach front resorts. They will send a fax to all bona fide
travel agencies specifying deals out of nearby airports. In fact, your local
travel agent is most likely swimming in faxes like this sent by companies with
you in mind.
But travel agents don't need faxes to get deals for you. They have knowledge.
Say you want to take a family reunion on a cruise ship with a country music
theme. You can bet your travel agent knows which cruise will suit you. Or you
want to stay in a castle in Ireland. You can find a travel agent who has sent
people to castles in Ireland.
Some Companies on Work with Travel Agents
There are many travel wholesale companies that only deal with travel agents.
These big companies negotiate rates with the airlines and hotels and pass the
savings along to travel agents. Hence, the travel providers discount prices to
middlemen, who raise the prices and pay commission to travel agents, who offer
their services free to consumers. Hence, the big travel companies and the small
consumers both have independent experts working for them.
Travel Agents Will Throw Their Weight for You
Travel agencies are service providers. They want to have a relationship with
you. Your happiness ensures their future profitability. So, if you experience a
problem, most travel agents, the good ones, will advocate on your behalf. You
had a bad flight? Tell your travel agent and leave the letter writing to someone
else.
Furthermore, travel agents have industry pull. If you, as an individual,
travel once a year and you have a bad experience, no big hotel chain or airline
cares about you. They care about their frequent travelers. So, if you stopped
traveling, you wouldn't be missed. However, if a travel agent boycotts a hotel
chain or an airline, you'd better believe they'd feel the pinch.