Tickets are usually highly restricted, and changing your itinerary after you've paid can be a nightmare, even impossible. You may not get frequent-flier points. And though airlines are reluctant to admit this, passengers paying consolidator prices often get lowest priority when cancellations occur. Some consolidators don't deliver tickets until shortly before the trip, which can be nerve-racking. One of the easiest ways to insulate yourself from at least some of these indignities is to use a travel agent to make your consolidator purchase.
Most travel agents deal with consolidators, often with wholesalers who sell only to the trade.
Agents usually work with a short list of consolidators whom they've come to trust. Others charge service fees. These memberships guarantee little, however. ASTA's core members, which include more than half of traditional U.S. travel agencies, must abide by a code of ethics to retain membership. But most consolidators join ASTA as allied members and are not bound by the ethical code.