Booking Air With Your Other Travel Arrangements

Most of the time I don't book air for my clients.  This seems a little odd, since my goal is to provide the very best, most inclusive and most personalized service for every passenger who books with me - so there must be a reason.  Actually there are several reasons, some have to do with me, some with the passengers and most with the airlines. 

I've given this speech so many times, I guess I might just as well write it down. And I welcome comments!  Let me know if you think I'm wrong, if I should make exceptions or if you have a better idea!

So here is my reasoning:

• Clients will almost certainly get better pricing if they book their own air.  Most people like to get the best value for their money.  In the last ten years nobody has called and said "I'd like to book a cruise for the highest possible fare".  If an agent or a tour company books your air however, they have no choice but to mark up the available rate because the airlines don't pay commissions.  Any agent who books air will mark up the price by a minimum of $30-$40 per person, frequently more.  You get better value by booking it yourself.  And most people who are relatively adept at the internet have the ability to do so.
  
  
• The airlines have made it very difficult to provide a pleasant booking experience.  Between the time you book your flight and the date of travel it is not unusual for 
• flight times to change
• flights to be canceled  and/or renumbered
• price supplements to occur 
• new service charges (i.e. fuel surcharges & luggage fees) to be introduced.  
• equipment (aircraft) to be changed - resulting in revised seating 
• Flight connections to be rendered "illegal" (meaning there is not enough time between the time the first flight arrives and the second flight departs - usually at least 30-45 minutes, depending on the airport and whether it is a domestic or international flight)
• ability to select seating to be removed

All of the above generally result in a call to the agent who booked the flight - and frequently there's nothing the agent can do about it. 

• Airlines make agents look bad and have cost me business.  A few years ago 12 passengers of mine were flying from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles.  The departure time for the first leg of the journey was changed, resulting in an "illegal"  connection in Mexico City - only 15 minutes between flights.  This air was booked through a wholesaler (the only way I could add a service fee) and the wholesaler did not advise me of the change.  My clients were stranded in Mexico City overnight, missing onward connections to Korea and other international points. After seven hours on the phone with Aero Mexico and Mexicana - and having the wholesaler deny any responsibility or assistance - hotel rooms and meal vouchers were arranged for the travelers and they flew out the next day.  None of them have ever booked with me since.  Some have requested that I remove their names from my database. Prior to this experience they had booked with me once a year for several years. 
  
  

So there's the long, sad story.  Let me know what YOU think - should I revise my policies?