Cheap fares out there but harder to find

"It's a tougher market, with a lesser role for generic consolidators," said Hugo Burge, president of Cheapflights.com, a Web site that displays both published fares and consolidator fares. "You have to specialize more."

Perhaps the biggest challenge -- and some believe the biggest opportunity -- facing the future of consolidator fares is the Internet. With more tickets sold online, fewer travelers are calling travel agents to buy a plane ticket.

Meanwhile, consolidators have started making inroads into the online world. Some, such as O'Connor's Fairways Travel (www.oconnors.com), which specializes in Ireland, and American Travel Abroad (www.amta.com), which focuses on Eastern Europe, allow consumers to book directly through Web sites and also work with well- known Web sites, such as Cheapflights.com. But the largest consolidators still don't deal directly with the public, have limited Internet presence and work with many travel agents who don't sell tickets online.

With so few of the major players offering a retail Internet site, there is a bit of a Wild West atmosphere on the Web, with new sites purporting to be consolidators popping up each day. A few sites that sell consolidator fares to the public, such as 1800FlyEurope.com, Airgorilla.com, Airlineconsolidator.com and Flights.com, are building online reputations, but lack the deep pockets of major airlines and online booking giants. Some of the sites are quirky and difficult to maneuver. Most initially quote prices that don't include taxes, which can add $200 or more to the total price. It's common to go through the entire booking procedure only to be told the price is no longer available or you have to call to book. Also, because many airlines prohibit consolidators from naming them, quotes often say only "major U.S. carrier." Burge noted that an astute consumer can figure out the airline by noting flight times, but that requires time-consuming research. Bottom line: There is no online site that does an excellent job of selling consolidator fares across the globe.

For now, working on the telephone through a local travel agent whom you locate through word-of-mouth or through a professional organization such as the American Society of Travel Agents (www.travelsense.org) remains the best way of getting a consolidator fare.

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