"Ed" <gwbush@whitehouse.gov> wrote in message
news:besnbs$3tg$1@cobalt01.janis.or.jp...
>
> "Ryan Ginstrom" <ginstrom@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > I have heard it said that airline tickets are nearly a perfect market,
> since
> > everybody pays exactly what they are prepared to pay. If you look hard
> > enough for the cheaper fares, you'll find them.
>
> Finding the cheaper fares isn't the problem. Getting them is. The travel
> agent SOP is quite simple. They say "I have you booked on flight XX blah
> blah blah  for (relatively cheap fare)." You say "Great!" and pay them the
> money for the ticket. About two weeks before the flight is scheduled to
> leave, they'll call you up and tell you that they couldn't get the ticket.
> Reserving a seat is easy enough for them since the airlines routinely
> overbook flights, but actually getting you the ticket is a completely
> different matter.

Wow, that's never happened to us, and believe me we go with the el cheapo
fares always. Do you remember which agent stiffed you?

-- 
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom