Why is it that I can sometimes find a fare that appears to be cheaper than that offered by my travel agent?

For some the temptation is always there ‘to beat the system’ and try and find a better fare / rate than the agent. Indeed it may sometimes appear possible but you have to be sure that you are comparing ‘like for like’.

All agents will use one of 4 Computer Reservation Systems (CRS). The airlines (and other suppliers too) pay a fee to the CRS to have their inventory loaded and distributed.

In recent years, not only are the suppliers aggressively cutting their cost of sale (often at the agent’s expense – hence commissions being eliminated), but they are also distributing their products through a wider variety of channels.

Whilst there are presently regulations in place to ensure a fair distribution of fares through all CRS’s, this is about to change and it does not account for the fact that increasingly, suppliers are offering different rates through their website and ‘hot lines’.

Millennium Corporate Travel no longer relies on the CRS alone. An increasing proportion of the fares we source are either through the internet or third party specialists.

Since no agent is in a position to control how and where the suppliers market their products and services, there will be the odd occasion where an alternative fare could be sourced.

They key however is to ensure that one is genuinely comparing ‘like with like’. Quite often what you see is not what you get. When you go to book is it still available and / or at the same price as quoted? Are the conditions the same? Can you hold an option like your agent can?

Similarly, by booking direct or through a third party are you booking out of policy? What is the impact upon your agent / supplier agreement? What about how it is expensed?

If you think that you may have found an attractive fare that we have not offered you, please talk to us.