Over and over again, I read travel writers saying that travelers should use travel agents for complicated or exotic trips, but that generally they can just book “simple trips” on their own online.

And as a travel agent, I can say honestly, that the service fees most agents get from domestic trips are often not what’s keeping us in business, so this isn’t a pitch for more sales. But actually, there are reasons travelers might consider an agent, even for “simple” trips.

The first reason is if the flight is delayed or canceled. Service cuts at the airports and all those check-in kiosks mean that the wait to speak to a human is longer than ever. Travelers with an agent can get on the phone and be rebooked before they get to the front of the line.

Also, if a trip is booked in advance the chance of schedule changes is high. Sometimes these schedule changes are trivial, other times they can result in a missed connection or hours waiting at an airport. An agent can get this resolved, even say, changing travel cities if a service cut means no good alternative.
For example, I have talked airlines into changing tickets from Fort Lauderdale to Miami, and San Jose to San Francisco recently. Which an individual can do too, but it make take a while.

Then there’s the issue of seat assignments. Lately, it seems as if, except for bookings made months in advance, there are no decent seat assignments left — sometimes even for elite mileage members. Most good travel agents, however, will keep checking back for seat assignments for their clients, and most of the time, something opens up. (And then there’s Northwest, in a class by themselves by only pre-assigning seats 90 days in advance.)

In addition, a few airlines, like British Airways and United Airlines, have special deals with some agents for seat assignment priority.

And finally, it’s another pair of eyes. I lose track of the number of requests I get for a flight say, on Monday May 17. Except that May 17 is a Sunday. It’s an easy mistake to make, getting day and date wrong, but the airlines are not terribly sympathetic. An agent is more likely to pick up these and other discrepancies, name issues, misspellings, etc., before a ticket is issued.

One of my favorite clients finally gave up booking online some years back after several airport problems. He likes to tell his co-workers, “You know, I am just thrilled when I have paid Janice her fee and she only had to do a few minutes work for it. Because it means everything went super smoothly. Unfortunately, with the airlines these days it happens a lot less often than I would like.”

Photo “Too early to Check in – Sydney Airport” by Charlie Brower on Flickr

Savvy travellers have known for a while that when you book an airline ticket in advance, that it’s worth checking back later to see if the fare has gone down. While not all airlines will refund the difference, some will give you the difference in a voucher, and still others will give you a refund or a voucher less a fee.

But lately, I’ve been noticing a similar phenomenon, with hotel rates.

Like the airfare situation, prices don’t always go down, but it’s often worth a few minutes of your time. (Or your travel agent’s time, but most agents are happy to check, especially if you ask nicely.)

It’s probably not worth checking constantly, but once or twice can’t hurt, especially if you’ve booked months in advance. And if the rate has gone up, you’ll feel good about booking early.

Just this week I found a hotel rate in South Africa for May dropped approximately USD 33 a night. I’ve also found recent savings in Italy and in Washington DC. Even if you don’t save money, you might find a nicer room; one Four Seasons hotel in Singapore adjusted their rates enough to make their Club level room comparable to the original standard rate.

Occasionally some specials are for “new bookings only,” which might take some negotiating. And unfortunately hotels are sometimes guilty of the same “bait and switch” tactics used by the airlines. Which means they may advertise a ridiculously low rate, which only applies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the offseason, or something like that.

Still, many hotels, especially but not only large chain properties, now use the same airline style “yield management” on their rates. Which means different rates for the same room based on season and occupancy. While it can be confusing, and at times annoying, during this recession the practice means a chance for some real savings.

Hotel photo from Hotel Andra in Seattle.

Many frequent travelers go by the maxim,  “there are lies, damn lies, and airline speak.”  Though in reality most airline employees do the best they can.”  But there is one situation especially where ignoring what the airline tells you can save you a lot of time and stress — when they say they can’t get you to your destination.

As a travel agent, I frequently get calls from stranded travelers, some of them before they have talked to the airlines.  And some after the airline has already given them their “best option.”  And quite frankly, sometimes that isn’t even close.

Clients going to Jamaica last month were told by Northwest that their flight was canceled, and that nothing was available until the following morning.  When they called me to ask what to do about the hotel, I found a wide-open American flight via Miami, and reserved two seats.

Armed with the confirmation number they went back to the counter and the agent shrugged, called American, and reissued their tickets. (The clients told me later the American flights were not full, but the only people from their original flight who also ended up the same planes had also called THEIR travel agent.)

Travelers heading to San Jose, California to San Jose, Costa Rica were called by American and told their flight to Dallas was delayed, and that they would miss their connection flight. The agent offered them the following day, or a four hours connection in Los Angeles and then a Lacsa overnight flight. They asked if it might be possible to pay more and fly first class. The answer was no.

Again, my quick computer check showed an American flight overnight from San Francisco to Miami with a one hour connection to Costa Rica – with a discounted first class fare available. Since San Francisco is only 30 miles from San Jose, my clients loved the idea. I booked the seats, and American reissued the tickets with only the fare difference, no penalty.

Admittedly, the reservation agent in the last case probably wasn’t in California, but presumably airline employees should know about nearby airports. Especially since the travelers said they would pay not to take the uncomfortable coach red-eye.

To be fair to the airlines, staff cuts mean that gate agents are more harried than usual. And certainly it is both easier and cheaper to give delayed travelers only one option. Sometimes, too, there may not be that many seats on an alternative flight. But if it means saving hours, or an entire day, you want all your options.

What to do?

If you have a travel agent, call them. Even online agencies have customer service numbers.

If you’ve booked direct, get creative. Call reservations, explain that you are flexible and be as proactive as you can. You can even look for options online first. Suggest other airlines, suggest nearby airports and be as aggressively nice as you can. (Screaming usually is not a productive option.) When faced with an agent who doesn’t seem to get it, there is always the “I’m sorry, this is a bad connection, I’ll have to call you back” approach. And try again.

This isn’t to say that airlines always lie about options. Sometimes they just don’t see them and sometimes they really don’t exist. But before giving up, it’s worth a little effort to be sure. The trip, or at least the time, you save may be your own