By Rainbowr83 01-10-2008 17:01

Hi Ryan Just a quick reply to your above post.I totally disagree with your arguement for bokking on so called "budget travel wesites" as opposed to licensed and bonded travel agents."Instead, the need for a slave to do the holiday booking for us charging huge commissions is over"This is totally untrue as anyone involved in the travel trade will tell you.Travel Agents have to be licensed and bonded whereas a airlines and accomodation compnaies do not have to be.So basically if you have booked your holiday on line with an airline and they go bust you have no come back in most cases.This is proven by the recent failure of XL Holidays.All clients booked with the tour operator were either repratriated at little or no extra charge whilst anyone booked with XL Airways were left to fend for themselves.I enclose statement from the Irish Travel Agents Association .19 September 2008 Holidaymakers not stranded! Shock! Tips to ensure your holiday booking is protected.Do you know whether your holiday booking is safe?"Don’t believe the hype – if you book with a licensed operator you’ll be looked after whatever happens - and your money will be safe. “DIY holidays” are another matter though….]We have seen a rough few weeks in the travel industry. The media have been full of stories of “stranded” passengers and consumers out of pocket. Not many of the reports actually mentioned the good news which is that most Irish holidaymakers who booked with the companies that closed recently had little or no trouble. For example,· the vast majority of the Tour Operator XL’s customers were brought home on schedule at the end of their holidays this week without having to spend an extra Euro. · ITAA travel agents around the country moved quickly to reserve alternative holidays for people whose future trips with XL were cancelled. · We also helped our customers reclaim 100% of the money they were owed. On the other hand some people who booked flights themselves on the websites of low cost airlines are now seriously out of pocket. Many people who booked flights that will now not fly face serious costs – not just the loss of the air fares themselves but missed connecting flights, hotels bookings etc… Last week, a UK survey revealed that more than 50% of consumers believe there is a state backed financial protection scheme in the event of an airline shutting down. There isn’t one here nor in the UK as the people who booked with XL airways and Zoom recently found out to their cost. The secret is to book your holiday through a professional, licensed, travel agent. We’ll advise you what Tour Operators are bonded. We’ll explain what protection you’ll have depending on what airline you fly with. We also advise our customers on suitable travel insurance and what it really covers. In this era of expensive fuel and economic turbulence it makes sense to buy a holiday that’s bonded and to book it with the advice of a real human being who can be contacted for help if a problem does arise. Travel Agents offer a level of ‘after-sales-service’ that airlines and websites can’t match. If something goes wrong, such as a pilots’ strike or a schedule-change not to mention the closure of an airline, your travel agent is on your side and will help to put things right again. When is the last time a website answered your phone call and sorted your problem?"Sheila @ Rainbow Retreats