| By :
Adrianna Noton
One of the most popular searches on the Internet is how to get cheap flights. Whether the economy is up or down, people still work to find the best deals possible. The business community is more likely to use a travel agency. While this seems to be only for convenience purposes, they are also usually finding better deals through these agencies than online searches may produce. The way a travel agency works within the travel and entertainment industry allows them to have access to deals and specials all the time. The ability to book tickets through the Internet has grown rapidly over the last two decades. Most people now have access to the Internet at work, home, and even from mobile phones. Because websites compare the various fares that are available between different airlines, the average consumer assumes the best deals will be found online. This is usually not the case. There are over one hundred thousand fare changes every day. This overwhelming amount of changes is constantly monitored and used by travel agents. The systems they use provide the ability to search for the fastest and cheapest routes. They are also able to combine packages in creative ways to come up with overall deals that put Internet searches to shame. The amount of information available is simply too much for any untrained individual to process and use. Travel agents can build and use special packages to lower ticket prices. They are able to work within the entire industry to combine hotel, airline, car rental, and even entertainment packages in order to come up with the best prices available. These combinations are nearly impossible to put together for Internet access. However, agents have access to special systems that give them the needed access to try different combinations until they find the right one. Consolidated tickets are not usually sold online. These special tickets are often sold in discounted groups to agencies. The airlines know they will not be able to sell every seat, so they will unload a group for each flight to agencies that may be able to sell them instead. These are often heavily discounted, giving the agent another advantage over Internet prices. Often, a price war has to ensue before the online prices will get close to the consolidated ticket prices. Agents are able to place tickets on hold. When they find a great price for their customer, they are able to place the ticket on hold. Often, they will tell the customer that they need to decide by a certain date to keep the price. These holds expire after a few days. The advantage is that the customer isn't charged for the ticket until the purchase is completed. This prevents cancellation and other fees if the flights have to be changed. Travel agents act as personal shoppers to the travel industry. Just like a personal shopper will look for the best prices and deals, agents look for the best deals across the board. Because they have direct access to the systems, they can often alert the customer if a better price comes along. Using a travel agent is the best answer to the dilemma regarding how to get cheap flights. The Internet does provide excellent prices, but with fees and fares changing all the time, the agent is the best prepared to find the cheapest deals. There is a reason businesses use agencies for their travel plans.
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