DER Travel Services has begun processing agency service fees
charged with a credit card along with the clients' payment for
products. Why? DER chief Heinz Wesner explained, "More and more
agents are imposing service fees, and we would like to help them."
Oh, Heinz, don't you know that you don't wear white after Labor
Day, and you don't do things that are helpful to travel agents.
It's just not fashionable.
Amtrak is said to be evaluating its distribution strategy,
following a review that found agent bookings were on the decline in
a big way -- despite the company's attempts to spur agent business
with incentives. Hey, Amtrak, before you do something ugly like cut
commissions, consider that sometimes the simplest route is the most
effective: Did you try saying "please"?