In the spring of 2005, Topaz International conducted its fifth study in a row to find that corporate travel agents get better airfare deals than the Internet. The study found that on average, agencies found fares that were $80 less than those booked on the Internet. Agents were able to secure a lower fare 93.5% of the time. "With millions of fares in the market and thousands of changes daily, travel agents use sophisticated search tools and skills to find the perfect fare--and it is checked continuously for potential fare, seat or routing improvements right up to the day of departure," said Malcom Read, president of a large travel agency chain. Bradley Seitz, president and CEO of Topaz, said that even though large corporations are better able to negotiate the corporate airline discounts, "even for the smaller corporations, agency fares continue to be less expensive on average."
This isn’t a surprise to our clients, of course, who use our travel services for any number of reasons, such as efficiency, safety, reliability, and convenience; but, finding the best price is certainly important to everyone. Travel agents have a vast arsenal of resources and experience to tap when they look for best fares. According to The Travel Insider, an Internet newsletter on travel, “to truly find the very best possible fare, it is necessary to do the same things that a travel agent would do. There are fourteen different things to consider when finding the 'lowest fare'. A travel agent can, should, and, depending on the preferences of their client, usually does evaluate all of these things in only a few short minutes.”
For more information on the Topaz study, click here.
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