Hunt for Lowest Fares Gets Even Tougher

With airlines cutting commissions to travel agents, air travelers will have an even tougher time determining the lowest fares for their trips, says Chris De Rose, owner of an Orange travel agency. It’s a sentiment echoed by travel agents across the country.

Several major and regional air carriers cut commissions for the second time since February 1995, this time as much as 10%. With consumers complaining about higher ticket prices and Wall Street seeking higher earnings, airlines have cut their second-largest expense, the $12 billion for costs such as travel agent commissions.

“Based upon the airlines’ poor record on providing consumers with the best fare information,” De Rose said, “the commission-cutting airlines simply cannot be trusted.”

A recent California Public Interest Research Group poll showed how difficult it can be to find the lowest fare. In searching for the cheapest fare on a specific date for 73 pairs of cities, they got 1,325 different answers from airlines and travel agents. Prices sometimes varied by more than $1,000. When looking for lowest fares, the group said, shop early, shop often, shop around.