Air Travel

Question:

Is there a phone number you can call to find out about travel agents that advertise on the internet?  I’ve received several price quotes for my flight from internet-based travel agents and I’d like to find out if their offers are legit before I book with them.  Is there any way to do that? Megan   /|  |/|  "The aim and final end to all music should be none other than the  | d   glory of God and the refreshment of the soul"  J.S. Bach  d

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>Is there a phone number you can call to find out about travel agents that >advertise on the internet?  I’ve received several price quotes for my >flight from internet-based travel agents and I’d like to find out if their >offers are legit before I book with them.  Is there any way to do that? >Megan >  /| > |/|  "The aim and final end to all music should be none other than the > | d   glory of God and the refreshment of the soul"  J.S. Bach > d

As long as you are paying using your credit card you should be rather safe. Rafal

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[Posted and mailed] :>Is there a phone number you can call to find out about travel agents that :>advertise on the internet?  I’ve received several price quotes for my :>flight from internet-based travel agents and I’d like to find out if their :>offers are legit before I book with them.  Is there any way to do that? :>Megan Why not pay by credit card, confirm with the airline that the ticket was booked and get the tickets? You should receive the tickets within a two/three day period. If you get screwed you have at least 60 days to inform the credit card company and refuse the charge. Of course, if they want a check – buyer beware. —

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>Is there a phone number you can call to find out about travel agents that >advertise on the internet?  I’ve received several price quotes for my >flight from internet-based travel agents and I’d like to find out if >their >offers are legit before I book with them.  Is there any way to do that? >Megan

ask If they are affilliated with an agency that does the ticketing, or what their Phone # is. They should be happy to give it to you.

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      > Is there a phone number you can call to find out about travel agents       > that advertise on the internet?  I’ve received several price quotes for       > my flight from internet-based travel agents and I’d like to find out if       > their offers are legit before I book with them.  Is there any way to do       > that? Megan       Megan, there are a couple of ways to check out a travel agent.. call the       Better Business Bureau (or Chamber of Commerce in smaller towns) to       see if they have any complaints listed, and if the business is licensed to       operate in that town or state.       Another is to ask the travel agent or wholesaler for references of       satisfied clients who have used that agency. If they refuse to provide       these, watch out!!       Also, NEVER, NEVER pay a travel agent or wholesaler you don’t know       by check. Always pay by credit card. If it’s a scam operator, your credit       card company will protect you.       Some wholesalers try to charge a 5% fee if you pay by credit card       rather than check or money order. That is illegal, and they are violating       their merchant agreement with the bank.       Good luck.

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Any travel agents here? Just out of curiosity, do travel agencies dial in to a central computer to make airline bookings for passengers. How does it work? Any replies appreciated.

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>Any travel agents here? Just out of curiosity, do travel agencies dial in >to a central computer to make airline bookings for passengers. >How does it work? >Any replies appreciated.

Hi In Canada and elsewhere, I guess, they have reservation systems. the 2 widely known rez systems are: Sabre and Galileo. The rez systems(i.e. Sabre and Galileo) are connected to rez systems of major Airline companies. and when the travel agent wants to book a seat on any airline British Airways(for example) all what he/she has to do is to code-in the date of travel and the other needed info to be able to display the exact flight on such date.Then the rest is easy. The agent then does the booking. thanx Hussein

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: Any travel agents here? Just out of curiosity, do travel agencies dial in : to a central computer to make airline bookings for passengers. : How does it work? : Any replies appreciated. I guess you could simplify it to say Yes to the dialing question.  FYI, there is no "One" system.  There are several, which were originally designed for and by the individual airlines.  When the technology was farmed out to agencies each of these systems took to allowing an agent to book flights on all the major airlines, as well as most of the smaller airlines.  They also added enhanced Hotel and Car reservations (seems kind of stupid that Travel Agents have a more sophisticated Res System than the airline does, but…) When you say "Dial in" the real answer is yes and no.  Yes, we are connected via the phone lines to a central site or sites, but no we don’t physically "dial in".  It’s a live line that is open and running 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  There are, however, computer programs offered by these various servers whereby you *can* dial in to the Central Site, but you generally see agents using those from a home business or something like that (yes, I’ve got one on my PC at home for emergencies).  These true "dial in" systems can cost a small fortune though if you’re on them much, because they charge an hourly rate (usually up around $7.50 p/hr). And yes, before you even ask, the full blown systems cost money.  System One, for instance, will charge you around $800 per month for a computer and Invoice printer that is hooked to their system.  You have to personally sign (no there’s no business protection allowed) on the bottom line that you will be liable for these charges for at least 4 years.  The good news is that the more flights, hotels, cars etc that you book, the cheaper your system is. Staying with the above example (1 Computer, 1 Invoice Printer) 0 segments booked costs you the $800 per month – 350 segments per month and the equipment is free to use.  Everything in the middle is pro-rated. As far as how it works…when we call up flights, we are looking at real-time availability of seating as designated by the individual airline. Meaning if my computer shows 4 K class seats available on a given flight and I "buy" 2 of those, I can call up the same flight and it will now show on 2 left (assuming of course nobody else in the world was working on that same flight at the same time). Here’s a hint for you…the Travel Industry (at least from the Travel Agent’s standpoint) really has very little to do with Planes, Ships, Hotels, Rental Cars or any of the other ’sexy’ stuff.  The best agents are those who have a knack for being able to quickly and efficiently manipulate and process data in their computer.  Of course, it doesn’t hurt to also have a friendly dispostion, and you absolutely MUST have a sense humor if you’re going to survive in this business. Hope this helps!! Ciao, Randy Gee, I hope this isn’t considered advertising….think I’ll leave off the sig, just in case.    

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>Any travel agents here? Just out of curiosity, do travel agencies dial in >to a central computer to make airline bookings for passengers.

Yes, I am a travel agent.  We don’t exactly "dial in", as our system is connected to the host on a dedicated line.  The reservation systems are owned by the airlines, although they serve all. For example, the system I use, WorldSpan, is owned by Delta, Northwest, and TWA.  However, I am able to book and ticket virtually any airline.

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> But with TAs still issuing up to 80% of all ariline tickets (that > figure has been disputed, but it is still the lion’s share), there > must be plenty of people who still consider them "necessary."  I found > them very necessary when I first flew, because I was totally clueless > about flying, and the advice from the TA came in very handy.

Hi, for recreational domestic and european air travel I do some/most of the research on it myself and ask my agent to book me on a specific flight. sometimes I need help on hotels domestically…I happen to know the hotels where I’m flying to in europe better than like 99% of the agents since I go every year and have for years… for professional travel the agent does like 99% of it…flight/hotel/car…and like for my recreational travel she makes sure I get an aisle seat assignment, FF# credited, etc. all the details go through smoothly. I happen to know she does a lot of business to Jamaica…so I’ll let me make honeymoon arrangements too… she’s great. but I know all agents aren’t like her…not even with the same agency…I basically refuse to do business with anyone else. ttyl akia — http://www.gopatgo2000.org/ "Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom? Congress shall have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of an American… The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people."                                                 — Tench Coxe

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Wow!  Another fucking Nazi!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> But with TAs still issuing up to 80% of all ariline tickets (that > figure has been disputed, but it is still the lion’s share), there > must be plenty of people who still consider them "necessary."  I found > them very necessary when I first flew, because I was totally clueless > about flying, and the advice from the TA came in very handy. > Hi, > for recreational domestic and european air travel I do some/most of the > research on it myself and ask my agent to book me on a specific flight. > sometimes I need help on hotels domestically…I happen to know the hotels > where I’m flying to in europe better than like 99% of the agents since I > go every year and have for years… > for professional travel the agent does like 99% of > it…flight/hotel/car…and like for my recreational travel she makes sure > I get an aisle seat assignment, FF# credited, etc. > all the details go through smoothly. > I happen to know she does a lot of business to Jamaica…so I’ll let me > make honeymoon arrangements too… > she’s great. > but I know all agents aren’t like her…not even with the same agency…I > basically refuse to do business with anyone else. > ttyl > akia > — > http://www.gopatgo2000.org/ > "Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, > then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own > bosom? Congress shall have no power to disarm the militia. > Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the > soldier, are the birth-right of an American… The unlimited > power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal > or state governments, but where I trust in God it will ever > remain, in the hands of the people." >                                                 — Tench Coxe

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> Wow!  Another fucking Nazi!

Hi, shows you how little "pierre" knows. (what he did manage to show is that he has a pitiful vocabulary) if anything I’m a Gaullist. I’m definitely not a german, much less a member of the national socialist party. — http://www.gopatgo2000.org/ "Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom? Congress shall have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of an American… The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people."                                                 — Tench Coxe

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