BLOG SAMPLEBelow is 1 of hundreds of posts written by Robert McKee:

The biggest complaint currently with the on-line travel consumer is "Did I do the right thing" before hitting the purchase tab. We travel industry folks have monitored (thanks to the internet) every move you make concerning travel. We've also seen In the last 3 years around a 14% drop per year in buyers going from the OTA's (On-line travel Agencies like Orbitz and Expedia et al...) to the old traditional agent and professional services. Here's the top reasons why:

Travel is a service, not a system. Got a delay, act of nature or change of plans-see how much your laptop helps you.

We generally save the customer an average of 15% over what they would spend without representation

On average, we find your trip in 1/6 the time and match you perfectly to the right program Our buying power allows us to offer lower rates with the same companies-even more than what

they offer on their site to you because of our volume. Refer to the top reason above too, because of these strong vendor relationships and under laws of agency we must respect your best interest, if there's a problem, you want an upgrade, baggage lost or again, those listed above and more, the airlines and travel vendors are more likely to jump and act when we call than an anonymous on-line single traveler that means just $100's to them a year. We also get more values-"freebies" to you, to offer you. Simple math.

That said, let;s get to the meaning of the title of this article. First of all the word "deal" means "price" to us industry folks. The airlines and tour companies are very wonderfully skilled at "yield management"-this is why you paid $1000 and the guy in the seat paid $400-more on that later. Let's see what a "deal" really is:

A loss-leader that dis-appears in 2 hours and switches you or rushes you This makes you panic making a mistake The few dollars you just saved now turn into that costly mistake, justifying the loss on the front-

end. Taxes and fees are hidden, surprise on the middle end!

Even according to a major airline-one that tried to rid the world of travel agents 12 years ago, "we cannot run a profit margin with more than 40% of our own distribution, therefore we have re-evaluated our former relationships and revenue sharing with agencies". Hmmmm...

Here's some more interesting facts:

The internet is not: (for travel vendors) 1-a direct inventory system, you can't get that seat because they

stop at 60% capacity 2-a customer management system 3-an accounting system 4-a system to share with other companies sites. More on that in the blogpost "Save Time and Money on Travel" and GDS systems. They (travel vendors) are in fact, terrified at the public managing inventory. Why? Because they know you tie up inventory on an average of six sites before you purchase. Can't blame them, you'd probably do the same if your income was threatened, but still, it does you no good when your neighbor is holding that "deal" that you really want. That's why some of those reservations, if you're the 6-holder type, get cancelled-they prefer to sell that space. Simple math. We can work around that too, so with us, you never need to panic.

Most of you are familiar with your corporate travel management. American Express is the leader here. I find it most interesting that Expedia is the largest travel company and American Express is a close second. Expedia employs 2x as many travel agents as the later. In reality, you really aren't in control still, just making a passive anonymous call via the internet to an agent anyway trained to rush you into that "deal" Simple math and business. They've got you cornered and give you the idea of power and exclusivity. 

Agencies have access to the same rates and inventory yields as their competitors-but more than a single buyer. Be really travel-smart. Choose an agency that has specifically the extras you desire and cares for you as a friend, saving time, money and ensuring a great experience for your big purchase.