Today i saw a respected California travel agency agent about a trip,Hawaii condo and car, i had booked myself months ago and just needed a flight. "Why don't you cancel the condo and car and go for a package?",,,I got exactly where and what i wanted. "Well, at a month and a day before Dec 16 departure, you will be lucky to find anything for less than $800-900 for the rt flight!",,,please just look. "Ok, on Apollo ,see, there is only,,,yes, $900,,,oh, there is $800,,,that is probably the best you will do,,,oh, there is $700,,,now you can't expect any lower price this late than that!,,,ok, i have found you a $600 rt flight on United in less than 5 minutes for our $35 fee, and you certainly won't find anything lower,,,do you want me to book that,,,you really should."
Apollo is a mediocre search engine for travel-flight prices. The travel agent did not check even one airline website, when most people have heard that they have the best deals a lot of times. What about Aloha or Hawaiian Airlines or ATA or even United's own site after finding their fare on Apollo? How lazy can you be ??
Back in the 80s i was a travel agent for a subsidiary of Santana's Suntrips and went to a ripoff travel school in San Jose and also two community college campuses to learn Sabre and Apollo for little pay, no benefits, and much talked of but never went 'fam trips' , as a part time job to working as a hotel front desk manager at a successful Silicon Valley business hotel ,for low pay and no benefits. So i know alittle about the biz, just selling Hawaii vacations. And in this day and age, for a "professional" to not even check the major travel websites and airline websites is either playing to only the UberRich or just plain foolish. Most Americans want a bargain ,even if they are "late!" at a month and a day out.
A good friend has a 'bargain hunter' travel agent in Oxford, England on a stipend to CONSTANTLY look for the ski trip package bargains in France and Italy that he has requested. Every few weeks she calls and says " I found this great deal, a real bargain ! Are you interested in going ,,,(say) skiing next month in Italy?"
Why do we have so many lazy, over-priced, fast buck,get rich quick travel businesses ,,,and travel agents who think we are all just fat cat corporate travel suckers willing to pay any price ?! The dollar in your hand or your bank is worth less and less every day,,,and most travel agents think they are working just for one side of the fence, the fat cats.
I made the Apollo- United $600 reservation, but immediately went home and found on Aloha Airlines web page a lower price or $577 and then on Hawaiian Airlines website of only $469, without the $35 fee,,,and a savings of more than 20 PER CENT !! If i could do this as a pc amateur, certainly any self respecting Travel Agent could,,,or professionally should. Not all of us in the Bay Area are computer geeks and we expect more from Travel Agents, if they want to flourish.
