About Airlines

A few years ago airlines worked hand in hand with travel agents in a relationship that served the needs of both. The airlines gave generous comissions and were rewarded with the loyalty of the travel agencies. Then one day after the internet was invented someone in some airline company said why do we need travel agents? Let's get rid of them and keep all the money for ourselves. They began by limiting the comissions the agents could make and gradually whittled it down to zero while at the same time hiring computer nerds to make websites that anyone could use to book a flight. With no comissions on flights travel agents were forced to add their comissions to the cost of the flights or take it out of what they would make on hotels and tours. Guess what. People stopped using travel agents. Agencies went out of business and people who loved their jobs had to find a new line of work.

But a funny thing happened. The airlines had underestimated the loyalty of the travel agencies and now travelers, set free, begain bargain hunting, choosing a competitor to save twenty dollars. This opened the doors to the big name internet travel sites of which we are all familiar with who became massive and hired some of those unemployed travel agents, though now instead of sitting down and chatting with the customer and working on a holiday plan they were pressing keys and looking at computer screens all day. But at least they have a job.

Now the airlines are in trouble and discovering they can't buy the customer loyalty that would have replaced the loyalty of the travel agents. So they pinch pennies, cut back on service and do things like offer hotels and even a taxi ride from the airport to make a few more dollars. So what began as an idea that would cut out the travel agents and make more money, instead backfired and now the airlines are hustling for spare change from taxi drivers. When I book a flight with a major airline and they ask me if I want them to arrange a hotel or taxi my first thought is travel insurance.

As for discount booking sites that offer hotels with your flights, if saving a couple dollars is worth not having someone in Greece to assist you and give you ferry information, tickets, arrange tours, deal with confusion or make changes (like if the hotel is lousy or in the boonies) and even tell you where to eat and what is going on that week, then go ahead. At least you are helping some poor ex-travel agent to have a job (even though it's a crummy one).

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