ith all the news coverage about
Internet travel sites and the activities of large agency chains,
it's easy to overlook the fact that local travel agencies continue
to provide first-rate personal service.
A case in point comes from Steve Alexis, the passenger sales
manager for Asiana Airlines in Los Angeles, who wanted to share a
story with us about the value of local agencies.
Alexis is a member of Rotary International and participates in
Web chat rooms with fellow Rotarians. A few weeks back, he was
chatting on line with Sam Chapman, an optometrist from Liberty, Mo.
Chapman, who travels both for business and pleasure, told Alexis
that he has found the use of his local travel agent, Burnie Burton
of Travel Unlimited, to be his best option.
Chapman recounted an experience that occurred last January. Just
before he was to leave on a two-week trip to Mexico, he had
undergone a medical test. In the midst of the trip, he received the
test results and learned that he needed to return home immediately
for surgery.
"My daughter told my travel agent," Chapman wrote, "and my new
tickets were waiting for me at the Mexican airport the next
morning. He [the agent] is also dealing with the airline to get
vouchers to replace the noncancellable tickets I was unable to use.
He knows where we prefer to sit on planes, has our credit card
numbers to charge our tickets and knows to ask if I want trip
cancellation insurance, which he arranges for me."
Chapman is spreading the word among fellow Rotarians about the
value of local agents. He has led a number of professional study
groups on trips and says his agent always finds the best deal at
the best price.
"He knows which wholesalers can be trusted and which ones don't
have good reputations. So far we have found him to be as cheap and
usually cheaper than all the deals we see advertised. The peace of
mind and not having to take care of all of the details are worth a
lot. I would not mind paying more for this good service. It seems a
shame that the airlines seem to be trying to squeeze travel agents
out of business by cutting their commissions."
Chapman notes that the travel industry seems to be going the way
that banks and others have gone by reducing personal service in
favor of their bottom lines.
"Our little town has had an influx of banks, all owned by larger
banks. Our office still deals with the only locally owned bank in
town, and I will continue to do so. For the same reason ... good
service ... I will continue to use my local travel agent."