| Airfare Consolidators have been saving | | | | travel products and services, ticket |
| Travelers hundreds of dollars on airline | | | | distribution and settlement through a variety |
| tickets for years. The big question for most | | | | of channels in the United States, Puerto Rico |
| consumers is: "Where do you find these | | | | and the U.S. Virgin Islands. |
| Consolidated Airfares?" | | | | |
| | | | 2) Or, Is your Agent a member of THE |
| You guessed it, your Travel Agent. More and | | | | INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES TRAVEL AGENT NETWORK? |
| more travel agencies are developing a | | | | IATAN's mission is to promote |
| relationship with Consolidators. It is up to | | | | professionalism, administer meaningful and |
| you to locate a trusting Agency that will | | | | impartial business standards, and to provide |
| purchase these tickets for you without adding | | | | cost-effective products, services and |
| a huge markup. These fares are called | | | | educational programs that benefit the travel |
| "unpublished airfares" and not all travel | | | | industry |
| agencies provide these types of tickets to | | | | |
| their clients. | | | | 3) Or, does your Agent have a "TRUE" |
| | | | Identification? TRUE (Travel Retailer |
| The Consolidated airfares change from minute | | | | Universal Enumeration) System's sole purpose |
| to minute and are based upon demand. It's | | | | is to help provide sellers of travel with the |
| like an "Airfare Stock Market" | | | | assignment of travel industry numeric codes |
| | | | that are recognized by the travel supplier |
| Very few companies take the time to up date | | | | community, including cruise lines, tour |
| the Consolidated Airfares online through out | | | | operators, hoteliers, and car rental |
| the day. It's just too time consuming. So | | | | companies. |
| when clients need a ticket, the Travel Agency | | | | |
| calls the Consolidators, gets the rate | | | | 4) As of the date of this article, if you |
| directly from the wholesaler (in many cases | | | | live in California, Florida, Hawaii, |
| they are the wholesaler) and relay the | | | | Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, |
| information to the Travel Agent. The Travel | | | | Michigan, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, |
| Agent then relays the information to the | | | | Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia or Washington, |
| consumer. Any delay in the purchase results | | | | your Agent would need to be registered with |
| in a lost of the airfare at the quoted price. | | | | the State's Attorney General's office as a |
| This process can take a half a day to | | | | Seller of Travel. |
| complete. Most consumers want their Tickets | | | | |
| NOW. When dealing with Consolidated Airfares, | | | | 5) And/Or is a member of OSSN, (Outside Sales |
| patients is a virtue. | | | | Support Network) The International |
| | | | Association for Independent contractors and |
| Of course you want to locate a Travel Agent | | | | Home Based Travel Agents |
| that you can trust. The credentials that you | | | | |
| would look for when searching for a reputable | | | | The highest standards in the Industry for |
| Travel Agent are: | | | | consolidators are set by the United States |
| | | | Air Consolidators Association. (USACA) |
| 1) Does the Agent have an ARC Number? ARC | | | | However, many of the Consolidators only sale |
| stands for the Airlines Reporting Corporation | | | | to Certified Travel Agents with any of the |
| - This is an airline-owned company offering | | | | qualifications listed above. |