travel agent use
 

How do travel agents make their money, aside from charging an upfront fee? Will I pay more for hotels, etc if i use an agent?

Some services pay commissions to TAs, such as cruise lines and most hotel chains. In the US, few airlines pay commissions any more, except in a couple of cases for business or first class fares.

You shouldn't pay more for a hotel or cruise by using an agent, since the TA is being compensated through the commission. For airline tickets or general consulting, TAs increasingly rely on service charges separate from the tickets. For example, when you book an airline reservation through Expedia or Orbitz, etc., you'll see they're marking up the final price by $5 or $10, to cover their expenses.

It depends on the circumstances.

As noted cruise lines and more upscale hotel chains give commission to agents - so you won;t pay more. Outside the US most hotels don;t pay commission, nor do car rentals etc -so you will have to pay the agent for each booking they make for you.. Also- they are unlikely to have much info on or interest in booking anything in the lower price brackets.

Hi F1,

Use a TA when you have neither the time nor inclination to DIY.

You will pay more for the total package (not necessarily each item).

Someone has to pay for the service.

((I))

Yes, travel agents do need to be paid somehow. After all, they are not doing it for the love of mankind!!

That will work fine if you want to stay in chain hotels. However, if you want to get a more local flavor and are trying to get into small local hotels or apartments overseas, for example, they will not have many resources to do so, and will not get a commission for booking. You will have to do that stuff yourself, which makes travel boards so useful.

Unless you are being charged for something specifically by your travel agent, they get paid by the hotel, cruise line, airlines, etc.

When I was in the hotel business, a TA had to have an IATA number to get paid and it was 10% of revenue. We didn't charge the customer a higher rate.

Ira that is not true. A good travel agent can usually save you money on the complete package. Plus you have someone to help you when things go south.

Due to my love of travel I did a home based travel business - I stopped booking after 9-11 and when all my previous bookings were done I closed up shop. I should have just kept going due to the commisions you can get paid to you based on your own travel.

Cruises paid well, as do packages - you do have access (at least at the time) to certain sites that only work with agents. I always tried to book it out both ways and most of the time it was less expensive for my client to a package deal. I did mainly Hawaii. I live on the west coast and it is a hot place for most of the people in my social circles to vacation.

I never charged a service fee - but many were starting to. Airlines had cut out the commision - a believe a few still offered but I did not like booking air seperate. I would do so if it helped out a client but made no money off of it. All my clients were friends, family or referals from friends or family so it was a pretty easy client base (most of the time LOL).

It has changed today from what I understand, I know the agent my dh used for corporate travel and large incentive trips (have I mentioned I miss those free trips??) charged a service fee.

My father and I got the same cruise. I bought from the cruise line directly, he went to an agent.

My dad was happy to pay $50 less for the same type of cabin. I didn't have the heart to tell him while I've paid $50 more upfront, the cruise line will give me $75 cabin credit. I guess this is how the agents make the living.