The Impersonal Internet

Regarding “Travel Agents Cry Foul Over Internet Fare Deals,” Travel Insider, Feb. 17: As a travel agent, I charge a transaction fee on airline tickets, but I still do not make money on them. They are purely a customer service and a cost of doing business. If there were a quick and easy alternative for my clients to book proper flight schedules at a fair price, I would stop selling airline tickets altogether.

I know my clients as neither the Internet nor the impersonal voice on the phone from the airlines reservations desk can know them. I know if they are eligible for a senior discount, whether they can handle a flight connection or need to fly on nonstops, whether they will need a wheelchair or any other service. When the proper flight schedule is arranged, things go more smoothly for the passenger and the airline.

BARBARA WEISS

Cayucos