T/A Commissions

Old Jun 2nd, 2004, 10:28 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,131
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
T/A Commissions

I usually make my own arrangements but we are planning a trip to Ireland involving airline tickets, a car rental & several bed & breakfasts. I enlisted the assistance of a travel agent who booked our flights & tacked on a charge of $25 per person.

He is making a commission on the car rental & hotels. Am I wrong in thinking that charging for the airline reservations I could have made on line is not correct?

Thank you for your input.
Leona is offline  
Old Jun 2nd, 2004, 10:37 AM
  #2  
Dan
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,630
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Airlines no longer pay commissions to travel agents in most cases, so it's now customary to charge the consumer a "service fee" for the convenience/work done by the travel agent. This doesn't sound unusual to me at all.
Dan is offline  
Old Jun 2nd, 2004, 10:41 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,107
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You should have an agreement, or read their policies, before this possible dispute came up. I really don't know of any rich travel agents, so I doubt that the commissions on car / B&B are that much. He *DID* do the work that you asked, right? $25 doesn't seem unreasonable.

>"reservations I could have made on line"

An analogy: I could have broiled my own steak last night too, but chose to go to a local steakhouse. When you dance, you gotta pay the band.
rb_travelerxATyahoo is offline  
Old Jun 2nd, 2004, 11:06 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,711
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Leona.....It sounds like teir was no mention of the service fee until after the tickets were issued.That might be a little tacky.Howvere, my TA has a sign right on his desk in clear view of anybody that his Ticket Service Fee is $30 per ticket issued.If it's a "package" he booked with the car rental and B/B's then likely he will earn some commission.I could easily book my own airline tickets but I'd rather just shoot him an email and have him issue my tickets.While $30 a ticket can add up, I can be making more fruitful use of my time.I do enjoy being top dog to somebody on this planet!!
BeachBoi is offline  
Old Jun 2nd, 2004, 11:53 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,203
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Love that answer rb_travelerxATyahoo!
Great analogy for many things!
TxTravelPro is offline  
Old Jun 2nd, 2004, 12:27 PM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 231
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Leona - TA's stopped receiving commissions from the airlines a few years back and most of them now charge a fee to book flights. I can understand you being upset if the TA didn't explain this to you, but there's nothing unusual in the actual charging of a fee.
Cats_Do_Dance is offline  
Old Jun 2nd, 2004, 12:34 PM
  #7  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,131
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thank you all. I know that airlines no longer pay commissions and that's why I mentioned the commissions he will receive for the hotels & car rental. I guess I unwittingly thought that those would be enough. Making an airline reservation via computer takes about 2 minutes.
Leona is offline  
Old Jun 2nd, 2004, 01:23 PM
  #8  
Dan
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,630
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Actually, I wouldn't be sure that he's even making those other commissions, Leona. I used to work for a large hotel company and we stopped paying commissions on many of the lower-end rates. Basically, the only commissions we paid after 2000-01 or so were the corporate and 'rack' rates. If he found a rate that was as good as what you could have found at a discount website, chances are he's NOT getting any money off of it!
Dan is offline  
Old Jun 2nd, 2004, 01:42 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 276
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I'm glad I haven't had someone tell me the commission I am earning. i.e. my paycheck, is enough by their standards. If you have someone in a business setting doing a service for you why would you balk because they charge you for it? Making a reservation may take two minutes but you're not taking into consideration all the additional time and energy that may be put into that reservation if something goes wrong on your end.
BjorkChop is offline  
Old Jun 2nd, 2004, 04:33 PM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Many B&Bs and small non-chain hotels in europe do not pay commissions to travel agents at all - or if they do they tend to be small.

I don;t know of any travel agents that assemble packages like that without charge. Usually the only things "free" are the cruises or set packages that the agent gets a bigger commission on.

nytraveler is offline  
Old Jun 2nd, 2004, 04:49 PM
  #11  
GoTravel
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
I gladly pay my TA money to book my tickets for travel outside the US.

My TA has a fair amount of pull with my airline. One time when we were bumped, not of our own accord, we were able to contact her, she contacted her contact at USAirways, and we were put back on the flight all within about 15 minutes.

The agency she works for has a 24 hour hotline.

I book my domestic travel myself but she is worth her weight in gold.
 
Old Jun 3rd, 2004, 08:36 AM
  #12  
jasper
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
bjork...unfortunatley it is a consumer market. anyone can call the airline direct on an 800 number or the internet and book the same reservation for no fee. and yes...the airline direct, or the internet can do complicated reservations, and has the same information (literally) that any travel agent would have. it is not good business sense.
 
Old Jun 3rd, 2004, 09:08 AM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,711
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
jasper........so you are saying that if I call United Airlines,they are going to quote me schedules and fares on American Airlines if they dont have what I want? I am sure Marriott would know very little about Ritz Carlton either.Travel Agents do that sort of thing you know...
BeachBoi is offline  
Old Jun 3rd, 2004, 09:44 AM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,203
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
jasper probably means access to the GDS via a website such as Travelocity.
Yep, you do have access to the database via an online tool that preferences the responses to maximize their revenues.
They may even strip out entire supplier offerings if it suits their purpose.
And, while it may appear you have access to the same content, you do not... as many agencies have access to negotiated rates that CANNOT be viewed by the websites.
Anyone who works in travel automation can tell you a million variables in the scenario.
One thing you cannot get online or through an 800 number is experience.
My TA specializes is travel that is not familiar to me. She's been on 50 cruises and traveled (and toured) hotel in most leisure destinations AND she gets detailed trip reports from her clients.
Yes, she is a great TA and worth every penny I pay her.
TxTravelPro is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
lily83
Caribbean Islands
6
Oct 9th, 2005 12:56 PM
AAFrequentFlyer
Air Travel
34
Oct 7th, 2004 12:00 PM
TC
Europe
10
Jul 27th, 2003 08:38 PM
molaussen
Europe
5
Feb 2nd, 2003 09:35 AM
nina
Air Travel
4
Nov 14th, 2002 05:26 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -