An Airline Passenger's Bill of Rights

The last time I used a travel agent was in 1985, when I sat down with an agent at his shiny new American Airlines SAAbre workstation. He then quoted me prices for American Airlines exclusively, and wouldn't help me with other airlines, because they weren't on his machine. I walked out, phoned up the airlines myself, and have never looked back. Maybe things are different today. I do not envy the travel agents trying to compete in the mechanized market as it exists today. Anybody with a modem can generate so much information and get so many offers, all with a few clicks of the mouse, I am sure many travellers are doing it themselves. It seems to me that there is a structural change going on in the way airline tickets are marketed and bought, and the labor component is being removed, similar to what has happened in automobile manufacturing, for example.

In the future, some may pay the premium for an agent, but they will be the minority. I own a hand-built car, but I pay a premium for that and put up with inconveniences, because that is what I like. I am in the minority, though. Most people seem to prefer whatever spits off the end of the automated assembly lines of Mexico or South Korea. If I were in the travel agent business, I would work like crazy to reposition myself as a boutique service for a) the person who wishes not to be hassled and has enough money that they will pay a premium to avoid inconvenience, and b) business travellers who will pay a premium because you can do it more efficiently than they can, because their time is money. I don't think the agents have a prayer going up against the airlines to try to get guaranteed commissions. They want to cut you out, and they own the planes.

I've got a recommendation for anyone who thinks they need a travel agent: spend the money instead on a cheap computer and an ISP!
Log on to some service like "Travelocity" o0r one of the many others.
You'd more than save the cost of the computer.
Travel agents, unlike the average passenger, have no incentive to save you money: they get paid as a percentage of your ticket.

The government should not be subsidizing airlines. If two thirds of the current crop of airlines went bust within the next six months, other airlines would expand or new airlines would just come into being to fill the gap. What sets the amount of air travel in the US is demand, not supply. If an airline goes bust, the airplanes don't disappear. The pilots, mechanics and flight attendants don't quit working. The airports don't shut down operations. A new airline or a different airline will buy these planes, hire these people, and operate out of these airports in order to make a profit serving the former airline's customers. If service cannot be provided at a profit, then this service should not be provided.

I doubt that you will get many different responses on this forum.

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