TA - new service fees

[WESTEAST]

Our TA changed agencies and reviewing the 'new' agency invoice for a recent onboard booking, it now states service fees will apply over and above the main component of cruise booking. Service fees include: booking domestic - international air $50-$100.00 pp; changes to booking - $25.00 pp for hotels, transfers, shore excursions, etc.  File cancellations are $100 pp. Kinda shocked as have been with this TA for many years. Always was an advantage to have TA book non-O air, transfers but now the advantage is diminishing. No doubt 'new agency' is trying to recoup lost Covid revenue. Would like to know if anyone pays such fees as news to us? Will shop around or, transfer booking back to Oceania.

[cayman09]

Have never paid a fee and will never.

[Snaefell3]

1 hour ago, WESTEAST said:

Our TA changed agencies and reviewing the 'new' agency invoice for a recent onboard booking, it now states service fees will apply over and above the main component of cruise booking. Service fees include: booking domestic - international air $50-$100.00 pp; changes to booking - $25.00 pp for hotels, transfers, shore excursions, etc.  File cancellations are $100 pp. Kinda shocked as have been with this TA for many years. Always was an advantage to have TA book non-O air, transfers but now the advantage is diminishing. No doubt 'new agency' is trying to recoup lost Covid revenue. Would like to know if anyone pays such fees as news to us? Will shop around or, transfer booking back to Oceania.

Methinks that TA should be your ex-TA.  😉 

 

Please, for all our sakes, educate them that -- at least for the nonce -- we have other options.

[pinotlover]

In the U.S. , neither the airlines nor most the hotel chains pay commissions to the Travel Agent. If you’re to lazy or incompetent to book your own one typically pays a fee for those services. The OP, Agent was honest and upfront and disclosed what those fees will be.

 

If however, one is including those arrangements as part of a total travel /cruise package , the TA may well waive those additional fees. 
 

A couple of things are happening at once. The number of experienced TAs is declining, while the 3/1 ratio of booking to actual cruises taken is taking a toll. While some passengers are firing their TA, some TA are likewise firing some of their clients. These additional fees are an intermediary.

[WESTEAST]

47 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

Methinks that TA should be your ex-TA.  😉 

 

Please, for all our sakes, educate them that -- at least for the nonce -- we have other options.

Methinks we will - already in the works and thanks for feedback.

[WESTEAST]

19 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

In the U.S. , neither the airlines nor most the hotel chains pay commissions to the Travel Agent. If you’re to lazy or incompetent to book your own one typically pays a fee for those services. The OP, Agent was honest and upfront and disclosed what those fees will be.

 

If however, one is including those arrangements as part of a total travel /cruise package , the TA may well waive those additional fees. 
 

A couple of things are happening at once. The number of experienced TAs is declining, while the 3/1 ratio of booking to actual cruises taken is taking a toll. While some passengers are firing their TA, some TA are likewise firing some of their clients. These additional fees are an intermediary.

Thank you for your feedback. The airline bookings were previously booked through the TA's Consolidator where we would get a better rate (and would still be booked that way had we stayed with this TA). The hotel refers to calling Oceania to add an Oceania hotel or transfer to our booking (otherwise, we do in fact book directly our own hotels). TA may well waive for this first booking with new agency as this was not told to us when TA moved to another agency and only saw in reading the details in the invoice from the agency. That said, we will be moving to a new TA.

[Snaefell3]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

In the U.S. , neither the airlines nor most the hotel chains pay commissions to the Travel Agent.

Yep.  Good point.  I was thinking/speaking about cruise bookings only.  I always tell my TA that I'll take care of those myself unless he can somehow get a commission.

[Vallesan]

1 hour ago, Snaefell3 said:

Yep.  Good point.  I was thinking/speaking about cruise bookings only.  I always tell my TA that I'll take care of those myself unless he can somehow get a commission.

In the UK agents earn commission from cruise lines etc. How do they earn money in the US?

Edited April 11 by Vallesan

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, Vallesan said:

In the UK agents earn commission from cruise lines etc. How do they earn money in the US?

TAs are paid a commission, overrides and bonuses from cruise lines.  But they do not get anything from air bookings which is why most agencies do not encourage air bookings.  We are in the digital age where many of us handle our own air/ hotels via the Internet, Apps, etc.

 

Many cruise lines do have decent online booking sites for cruise air.  Sometimes they have good deals for Business, First and Premium Econmy.

 

Dealing direct with consolidators (discounters) for air is a tricky business and many experts do not favor using air consolidators.

 

Hank

[Vallesan]

28 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

TAs are paid a commission, overrides and bonuses from cruise lines.  But they do not get anything from air bookings which is why most agencies do not encourage air bookings.  We are in the digital age where many of us handle our own air/ hotels via the Internet, Apps, etc.

 

Many cruise lines do have decent online booking sites for cruise air.  Sometimes they have good deals for Business, First and Premium Econmy.

 

Dealing direct with consolidators (discounters) for air is a tricky business and many experts do not favor using air consolidators.

 

Hank

Thank you. I misread the post I didn’t realise it was just airlines and hotels who don’t pay commission.

 

From my not so good experiences with consolidators I find it better to book directly with an airline. I have far more control that way!

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, Vallesan said:

Thank you. I misread the post I didn’t realise it was just airlines and hotels who don’t pay commission.

 

From my not so good experiences with consolidators I find it better to book directly with an airline. I have far more control that way!

I believe that some hotel and hotel chains pay commissions to TAs.  I should add that over many years (and lots of cruises/international travel) we have generally found that cruise line hotel packages (pre/post cruise) generally cost about twice the price of simply booking the same or even better hotels on one's own.  There are sometimes when included transfers might make it worthwhile to book a cruise line hotel package, but that is rare.  

 

Hank

[Vallesan]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

I believe that some hotel and hotel chains pay commissions to TAs.  I should add that over many years (and lots of cruises/international travel) we have generally found that cruise line hotel packages (pre/post cruise) generally cost about twice the price of simply booking the same or even better hotels on one's own.  There are sometimes when included transfers might make it worthwhile to book a cruise line hotel package, but that is rare.  

 

Hank

 

Yes I have similar feelings although we have on a couple of occasions used a cruise line package but I upgraded the transfers to private ones. Can’t see any fun in waiting around for a ‘bus load’ of people.

 

We did have one unfortunate experience when a TA ‘unpackaged’ then ‘repackaged’ an Oceania cruise. I only found out when the flight times changed and I rang the airline only to find the ticket had been booked through a consolidator and not Oceania! 
 

Anyway, we live and learn!

[ronrick1943]

If you already booked the cruise I wouldn't think they can add charges at this time.  I'd think your TA should be looking after you as a customer.  We always book are own flights and hotel so we have full control of what we want.......that said we always leave a few days early before the cruise and stay a few extra days after the cruise.

[Vineyard View]

8 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I believe that some hotel and hotel chains pay commissions to TAs.  I should add that over many years (and lots of cruises/international travel) we have generally found that cruise line hotel packages (pre/post cruise) generally cost about twice the price of simply booking the same or even better hotels on one's own.  There are sometimes when included transfers might make it worthwhile to book a cruise line hotel package, but that is rare.  

 

Hank

We have always booked our own air (international, we do our best to use miles), and I always research hotels on my own. I actually enjoy that process, and have rarely been disappointed in the outcome. If I am, then I only have myself to blame. Cruise hotel packages are hugely inflated in pricing from what I have seen, and not always where we would choose to stay. I will give up included transfers to have those choices. 
That said, we have friends who prefer someone else do all the booking - air and hotel. 
Different choices for different travel styles. 

[mnocket]

I honestly wasn't aware that TAs didn't get commissions for air and hotel bookings.  Makes me wonder how they make money booking land vacations.  I make my own travel arrangements, but my brother recently returned from a land vacation in France that was booked by a TA.  The entire thing consisted of air, hotel and train reservations.  Why would a TA take on such a trip if they aren't getting paid any commissions? Seems strange. 

[anonymousegirl]

Former TA here. I just retired in 2022. I charged fees for many components of my clients' vacations. Commissions paid to us by our travel suppliers is pretty much a joke. Hotels might give us 10% but they often delayed payouts and we'd have to chase them down, Cruises were very good about commissions, but airlines were bad unless the client is flying business or better and international. I charged fees for flights, train tickets, and custom itineraries, which were my specialty. I did not charge for pre-organized land tours, cruises, or cancelations.

 

I understand that some people vow never to use a TA that charges fees. No worries, that's your choice, but how do you think I earned a living? Not from those meagre commissions. And all these travel plans take time. When I did air for a client, I have to search multiple airlines, routings and schedules, get pricing, talk to my client, giving them some choices, then hoping the airfare didn't go up in the time it took to get an acceptance. Similarly, booking a cruise, I have to search availability, price it, and price insurance, transfers, and pre-cruise hotels. Then the client calls me for advice on which excursions they should book, the dress code, drinks packages, etc. It's easy enough when you're doing it for yourself, but multiple that by 20 couples. 

 

Travels agents are not in the business for the money. You won't make much unless you book corporate air. Those clients travel a lot, travel business or First, and often book last minute fares which are stupidly expensive. I have a friend who makes 6 figures because she's been doing this for 30 years, and has big name clients. Many of us are barely making it. I made more during Covid thanks to unemployment than I did working. So try to see that fees are for the TA's time, and more importantly, their expertise, and their industry contacts. 

[Harters]

On 4/11/2024 at 1:12 AM, WESTEAST said:

Would like to know if anyone pays such fees as news to us?

Never paid fees in the UK for cruise or landbased holidays booked through a TA (or even seen that such things might exist - which probably means they don't). I've no "in principle" objection to paying them so long as everything is transparent and I can compare bottom line pricing between agencies' offers. But it would seem an unusual departure from very long established business practice 

Edited April 18 by Harters

[Cruisedreamer1]

According to my TA, it's their travel business association that is pushing for this fee. I have no problem paying a fee if asking for specialized travel plans but will just go direct to the cruise line if this "fee" goes main stream to all TAs. Fortunately, mine says no to this fee.

[Redtravel]

TA service is worth $.  Usually I do the research and call my TA to book. She usually adds value. That doesn’t take much time. However, when problems happen, your TA works to rectify the situation. That may be very time consuming.   Find a TA that will work for you.