Booking airfare & travel insurance

[oratheeexplorer]

Do most of you book your own airfare and travel insurance or do you have your travel agent do that for you? We have always had our TA do it for us, but they charge $25 per person to book the airfare. I was wondering if that is what happens to the majority who have their TA do it. I just feel better having the TA do it, because if we would have trouble with a delay or something, I have her phone number and can call her anytime to help us out.

 

Thoughts?

[CruiserBruce]

We book our own airfares. Book cruises and insurance thru a TA.

[cruiseco]

Do most of you book your own airfare and travel insurance or do you have your travel agent do that for you? We have always had our TA do it for us, but they charge $25 per person to book the airfare. I was wondering if that is what happens to the majority who have their TA do it. I just feel better having the TA do it, because if we would have trouble with a delay or something, I have her phone number and can call her anytime to help us out.

 

Thoughts?

 

Remember that your travel insurance (at least any plan I'm familiar with) has a 24-hour help line to take care of just these types of problems. Anything your TA can do for you they can do. So, if you have insurance (obtained through the TA or elsewhere) and do buy your air tickets yourself you still have that safety net if a problem arises.

[uppitycats]

I've done it both ways. When I'm flying international, or if the flight is complicated (like, not round trip, or with multiple stops) I let our agent do it (and she does charge a fee). If it's direct -- my flight at the end of the month, for example, is round-trip -- I do it myself. I've had to deal with flight delays in the past and the trip insurance guys, despite the claim in the policy, weren't at all helpful. I'd rather not spend a good chunk of my vacation trying to work out complications!