He obviously didn't know about the jungle, the bad roads. A regular travel agent might think it was OK and sell him the tickets. Exito's knowledge was reassuring, but I was not ready to give up looking for a cheaper ticket. Time to surf. On the Internet, discount air brokers proliferate like mosquitoes in a bog.
Some Web sites require memberships and passwords.
Others are slow, complicated or bereft of true bargains. To pay, I could enter my credit card number or call the company. I called, not to buy, but to ease my skepticism. When a customer buys a ticket, we give him a confirmation number. He can call the airline himself and ask if he's booked on the flight.