Is anyone familiar with the discounts travel agents receive on hotel stays or flights? I have an acquaintance who used to be a travel agent and no longer works as a travel agent but renews her travel agent license/membership each year. She offered to buy a ticket for me using her travel agent number so that I could take advantage of this discount. How do I go about finding out what the travel agent fare is on a flight or a hotel? I don't want to ask for a favor then find out I could have gotten a better price myself looking on the regular travel websites.

I'm a little confused here. Why don't you ask her? Or are you suggesting you're afraid she might be wanting to rip you off? No one will know better than she does what her price and/or discount will be. The discounts can vary with agents, amount of business, which hotel or airline, and all sorts of other things.

A travel agent airline ticket is normally issued by the sales rep of the airline in question. It is usually handled through the travel agency's owner's relationship with the airline's sales people. As far as hotel rates, that too is usually done by the travel agent calling his or her local sales rep for that hotel chain.

Why not find the best price you can come up with, then ask her if she can beat it?

Thanks for the replies. The woman is a friend of a friend so I didn't want to bother her about getting me a discount if the discount wasn't substantial. From the responses, it sounds as if there is no "standard discount" and I just need to ask her what kind of a discount she can get.

Wouldn't it be easier for your friend to ask permission from Agent woman to give you her phone number ?
This way no bother...

One more thing, if Agent woman keeps renewing her licence I would think there is a reason for that. But her being a former agent - there must be a reson for THAT too ...

I personally know one former Travel Agency owner who never disclosed her discount, but dropped that business as no way to make a decent leaving. She had 3 people worked for her, so it wasn't too small. She works gov job now and happy.

See for yourself, though...

If she no longer works as agent then it is doubtful she has a valid IATA card anymore, as only active agents can have one, and it is based on proof of annual sales, etc. What she may have is one of the so called Travel Agent ID cards that are sold on the web for $450 which are useless.

Regardless, the discount offered to TAs for airline tickets is based on a percent off of "list" price - in other words some discount off of FULL FARE only, and even with the discount it is usually MUCH higher than what you can book through all of the special deals that are always out there. In general, there are no special deals for TAs with the airlines. Think about it, the airlines took away all payments to TAs for booking flights so why would they give them any good deals on flights? Never happen.

As far as hotels, yes it is possible to get some good deals on room rates if the TA is a big producer. Again, only those with valid IATA card will get good rates and then the TA MUST BE PRESENT when checking in and MUST SHOW the IATA card. The key here is the TA MUST BE ACTIVE AGENT and selling some required number of room nights/revenue per year to qualify.

I think this "friend of a friend" sounds like an urban myth. Even if she can get you something (which I doubt) she may have to be traveling with you for you to get the discounted prices.

I agree with Curt !

It sounds to me like she is soliciting business since she apparently offered to get you tickets. I think you might be doing her the favor as it would then count in her yearly business totals. I agree with Curt, why would airlines give travel agents discounts on tickets when they won't give them commissions for cutting tickets. I would steer clear of this woman.

Thanks for the responses. I think I'll find my own rates and not get involved with the travel agent.

I don't think any of us were suggesting that you should avoid travel agents, only that there was something fishy about this deal. A good TA may be able to help you put together the whole trip with air as part of the deal. Just don't expect too much if all you want is air, as there is nothing in it for the TA.