consolidator tickets
 

I`m confused. Do you or do you not get ff miles on a consolidator ticket? Going to France. Was going to go on AA, but if I can`t get ff miles, might as well go on whatever is the best deal. Thak you in advance!

By and large, you don't get ff miles on consolidator tickets.<BR><BR>Say you fly from the West Coast to Europe, you'll receive 10,000 ff miles for the round trip. At 2 cents a mile that's worth 200 bucks.<BR><BR>Travel agents like to sell consolidator tickets because unlike a published airfare the agency can mark them up as much as the traffic will bear.<BR><BR>When you buy a regular ticket, the price is on the face. The agency is making a small commission. With a consoldator ticket, the price on the ticket is whatever the agency thinks it can get. For example, the agency might buy the ticket from the consolidator for $500 and ask the consolidator to type $800 on the ticket. The agency makes $300, quite a markup.<BR><BR>So if you buy your consolidator ticket from an agency, make sure what the agency is making. If it's a high markup you may be able to get it cheaper.<BR><BR>Also, you can buy consolidator tickets directly from consolidators.<BR><BR>Remember also that changes on a consolidator ticket can only be made through the consolidator. The airline will not make any changes. This could be a problem.

Not all agents Gouge on Consolidator tickets I ususally mark up $75-100.<BR>On most you do not get FF Miles, but you do on some.<BR><BR>Also make sure the agent check both published and consolidator rates.<BR>When airlines are having a SALE, the Sale fare is often Lower than the Consolidator fare. The agent will add a $10+ fee. Mine ranges from $10-30, but I know some agents charge more.<BR>But being a Leisure Specialist, I try not to do many airline tickets unless it is an established client.

You may be fair. The problem is that the unwary customer can get burned if they think that a normal capped commission of $20 is included in the fare. As you admit, your commission is a lot more than $20.

Not all agency's gouge the consumer as Vic would have you believe, and as our price is net to us, it is not likely any agent is going to tell you how much they are getting it for. Do we ask the department stores, grocery stores or any other provider of service what their cost is? Nope, didn't think so. Tell your agent what the best price is that you can find and ask them what their best price is that they can offer. <BR><BR>Vic, glad to see you still enjoy taking cheap shots at travel agents.

Pat,<BR><BR>Almost forgot the point of your question. There are some contracts that allow ff miles when booking thru a consolidator. And there are others that do not. You need to ask the travel agent booking yours, or the consolidator you intend to use, if their contract allows for them (ff miles) or not.

Most people when they deal with a travel agent think they are dealing with an agent working on a commission. Penny's thinking is exactly what I'm warning against. All of a sudden, she is do longer working on a commission, but marking her merchandise up like a department store. I doubt that she tells her customers how she has morphed into a retailer.<BR><BR>It gets complicated when the customer thinks he's dealing with a commissionaire but the agent is acting as a retailer. Let's say the customer is charged $1,000 for a ticket. The agent buys it for $600. What happens when the customer wants to exchange his ticket. Let's say, the new ticket is $900. The customer expects a $1,000 credit since Penny has not bothered to tell him that she pocketed $400. Will she refund $300 of her profit to buy the $900 ticket? I doubt it? The customer is cheated.

Pat,<BR><BR>Please post your exact travel dates and the city your flying out of and going to in France. See my post under the Milan question. I was able to find a fare for $445.00 NYC to Rome. American is traditionally the highest priced airline with or without use of a consolidator. I am not trying to solicit your business here, merely trying to show you and other's what kind of value a travel agent can bring.<BR><BR>Vic, I hope she does this, and then maybe you'll back off of your prejudiced and biased remarks, and other's will see you are full of hot air on alot of these issues.

Pat,<BR><BR>The post is called "Going to Italy in March" best time to purchase? Something like that. Hope you'll post your info.<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR>Penny

Am going from Reno to Marseille RT. I can go either in June or Sept. We have relatives in provence that only stay there in the summer, then come home to Phoenix for the winter. They said it`s too hot and crowded in July and August. They live in one of those Luberon villages. They aren`t going over this year until June 1, or I would go in May. I haven`t found anything for less than $1,050.

Vic: It is my understanding that consolidator tickets are highly restrictive. That means they are usually totally nonrefundable/non-changeable. You buyit/you flyit..so to speak. A good TA who sells these highly restrictive tickets, after fully explaining all the restrictions will have that client sine off acknowledging that they are fully aware of these restrictions. Sorry if this puts a dent in your exchange theory.

Pat,<BR><BR>X makes a very good point in the restrictiveness of these types of tickets. You must be 100% sure your going on the dates ticketed or the value is lost in penalty fee's or just lost if non-changable :<BR><BR>Consolidator 1: Has only 1 contract right now, best price $907.00 for mid-week travel add $40.00 additional for weekends.<BR><BR>Consolidator 2: Best offer $1021.00, so if your quote of $1050.00 included the fee that would show your TA isn't gouging you.<BR><BR>And from Reno to Paris would cost $814.00. <BR><BR>Now you can bring that down considerably if you will consider flying out of a major city like Los Angeles into a major city like Paris. Total cost there from Consolidator 2 is $673.00. You could take the train to Marseille. <BR><BR>I want to thank you for the opportunity to show this Vic, that we are not the sneaky, slimy creatures who live under rocks that he tries to make us out to be. Just honest hardworking people like everybody else.

Not sure what consolidators you all use but the ones we use all alow changes on their tickets, at least the return date, for $200 usually. And I would say we can get ff miles on 90% of the airlines they carry.

I agree. Virtually all consolidator tickets allow changes, often with stiff change penalties.<BR><BR>The warning is that the new flight that you want may not be available in the consolidators inventory.

My point is simple. Don't buy a consolidator ticket without shopping. An agent can add whatever markup he wants on a consolidator ticket. Shop other agencies. Shop consolidators directly. You may find competitive tickets on the internet, especially Orbitz.<BR><BR>Remember a regular ticket is worth more than a consolidator ticket. If your flight is cancelled, generally an airline will give you more alternatives if it is not a consolidator ticket. If you want to change your flight a regular ticket will provide more alternatives.

Darn, I thought we'd discouraged Penny, but no no no. Still plunging in as if this were her private forum, just to get on her soapbox about what great people travel agents are. The more she posts, the more I just don't want to even walk through an agency's door. I might have to genuflect and kiss someone's ring.<BR><BR>Penny, button up and let someone else talk once in a while. No one has renamed this the Penny Travel Agent Defense Forum.

Oh Honestly-please get a life. What is wrong with Penny, Fran or anyone else trying to educate the people on this forum.<BR>Vic is right about 50% of the time.<BR>Acutally consolidators usually charge $200 to change the Outbound date and $125 to change the return.<BR>Most offer FF Miles, some do not however, so you must ask the agent and have them verify the information

The trouble with the people here who say they don't like me is the fact that they don't like that I am not the vision they choose to have of people in my profession, and that they can't bully me into silence, and that they can't continue with their absurd remarks and inuendo's about travel agents.<BR><BR>I provide an insight to this board that obviously hasn't been present until I and others made an apperance. And guess what? I'm not going anywhere.

Pat,<BR>Check out www.flights.com, an on-line consolidator. If you can leave from LA, they have tickets for June 2002 from LA to Marseilles starting at $616 + tax. Also, ask the consolidator that quoted the fare on AA if that would earn you miles, because I think it depends on the consolidator and the airline Good luck!

I found late summer, early fall fares to Marseille for 575.00 from Vegas for a client. Included my commission, miles okay. Yes, lots of restrictions too...200.00 to cancel, no outbound changes and 150.00 to change return. Not too bad a deal. they were happy anyway.

Since agencies can markup consolidator tickets as much as traffic will bear, are there any websites that list prices from a number of consolidators like computer websites, or do I have to go through the laborious process of shopping?

Vic,<BR><BR>Where are you trying to go?? I know you don't particularly like me, but, to have an idea of what your being quoted helps. As well as knowing where your trying to go (out of/too) and exact dates, as even the difference of a day or two can make a big difference.<BR><BR>I can check in a matter of minutes, and it won't cost you anything. However, since the one's I use are TA only, it does me no good to share the names with you. But you would then know what a "fair mark-up" would be. The prices I have posted previously include the agency fee....and it was still better than anybody else's prices.....I am not the oger you think...I will help you if I can, provided you will let me.

I don't want anything to do with you for many reasons, but an important one is that I don't want to encourage you in your self promotion. This formum is for travelers helping each other, not for peddlers trying to sell their wares.<BR><BR>As usual you're not addressing my concern. Since agents can markup consolidator tickets however much they wnat without telling the customer, how do I know that I can't get a ticket somewhere else for less.<BR><BR>You say you use only consolidators that don't deal with the public. You've limited yourself at your customers expense. What if better deals are available from a consolidator that deals with both agents and the public? What if there are better deals from consolidators that deal only with the public? You aren't offering all alternatives to your customers.<BR><BR>My question was, does anyone know of a website that lists all of the available consolidator deals for particular itineraries.<BR><BR>

As several of us have said before, do you ask your grocery store manager how much he paid for that head of lettuce?<BR>Do you go to 20 stores to check out the price for a loaf of bread?<BR>We just like other retailers are just trying to serve our customers.<BR>A saying once said about our Profession says it all. " A Travel Agent is the only Business Person I know of who seaches for hours or days to get the lowest price for their customer, so they can make Less Money." You can believe this or not, but it is TRUE.<BR>Very few agents add Hundreds of Dollars onto a Ticket, Package or Cruise.<BR>$10-25 added to a Regular Ticket or $20-100 to a Consolidator ticket which is hundred less is not much, especially when the Customer does not have to spend hours of his time searching for fares.<BR>Most People's time is Valuable and they would rather a Professional search for them to spending hours themselves.<BR>Many of my clients have been searching the Internet for Days or Weeks before they turn to me for HELP.<BR>You, Vic oviously have plenty of time on you hands. I hope you are retired or unemployed, as I would not like to think you are doing this on Your Employers time.

Vic,<BR><BR>What I offered to do, was to tell you what the lowest price was that I could find for your scenario. <BR><BR>I did not say that I would do it for you, there is a BIG difference in those 2 statements. Remain hostile, water off a ducks back to me.<BR>

Joyce<BR><BR>I know that you're posting here to get some business, I hope no one falls for it.<BR><BR>You keep talking about travel agents as professionals. That's laughable.<BR><BR>A profession is a calling, with educational requirements, licensing and disciplinary boards.<BR><BR>My aunt decided to become a travel agent to occupy her time. Because of her knowledge from personal travel, having many friends with time and money and willing to rebate part of her commission, she is going pretty good.<BR><BR>What if I decided that I was qualified to be a doctor because of experience with personal and family illness. If I hung out a shingle, I'd go to jail.<BR><BR>If you want to be a travel agent all it takes is a few hundred dollars, a business license and some stationary.<BR><BR>You can get a CLIA card with which entitles you book cruises and receive commissions. Hotels and car rental agencies also honor the card. There really are no requirements other than paying a few hundred dollars.<BR><BR>http://www.cruising.org/flash/gohome2.htm<BR><BR>Beware, cruise lines as other travel suppliers pay commissions based on the amount of business you bring them. Large web agencies will often deliver a cruise cheaper than you can get as a CLIA member.<BR><BR>There is an even cheaper way to become a travel agent.<BR><BR>http://www.ossn.com<BR><BR>Profession alright. A few hundred dollars and you're in.

Joyce, stop the pan handling to try and drum up either: A. Sympathy for you and your brethern; or B. New Clients. You've chosen to be a travel agent, so now live with it. Your point about not asking what a grocer pays for items is both overly simplistic and wrong. As can be seen from the rapid growth of CostCo's, Sam's Clubs, etc. people are really starting to figure out what the true costs of things are and adjusting their shopping patterns accordingly. The correct comparison would be between a Travel Agent and a Car Dealership. People have historically bargained/dickered with car salespeople in an effort to get the best price, because of all the hidden ways dealers make money. With the advent of the internet it is that much easier to figure out what the dealers actual price is when compared to the sticker and to bargain accordingly. You're pissed off that people are now using these same tactics in your industry. The people you should be upset with our the hotel owners, airlines, car rental companies, etc. that offer cheaper direct prices (which are often as easy to book as calling a Travel Agent) and that are cutting back on their commissions to Travel Agents. I think several of the lawsuits that have been filed against the Airlines for cutting commissions have merit, but blaming it on the customer, and crying about "how hard it is to make money in this field" is pointless. TA's that serve a legitimate purpose, or niche market will continue to make money. To the rest of you, well, it's called Survival of the Fittest...