I found a price quote on-line and I'm unable to purchase that flight on-line.?

i found a price quote from CLT (North Carolina) to SJO (Costa Rica) in the amount of $431.50 total (including tax and booking fee) online on www.itasoftware.com. the website stated: "If you want to buy this ticket, it's probably best to use a travel agent (this ticket involves multiple airlines, which can get complicated)." after the statement it gives booking codes, so a travel agent can get the price for the tickets. My problem here is the fact that i've never gone through a travel agency to book a flight..and i'm already on a tight situation with money for the flight and i really cant spend much more...how much of an increase is it to go through a travel agent to purchase these air tickets?

hmm.....shouldnt be much at al.

i am a huge advicate of the local licenced travle agent. Tell them what you found and then what is the best price they can do. They may/will have their own processing fee but that shouldnt be more than $20-$40

but keep in mind that some agents do have thir own deals going at some stages....you may get it cheaper!

Travel agent works. got a quote for Brisbane (australia) to Stockholm, Sweden for $3500 and I found a return flight for $2800...went back to the same agent with that fare and they gave it to us for that price.

The reason for the message is that ITA Software is not a travel agency and does not sell tickets. They sell booking software to the travel industry.

The fare will be the same through a travel agent although agents typically charge an extra service fee to issue tickets. (Airlines stopped paying them commissions years ago, so they have to charge you a fee to stay in business.) Alternatively, you can buy it directly from the website of the airline that you're flying at no extra charge.

If you know what you're doing, get it from the airline website. (Most of them charge you extra if you call them on the phone to get the ticket, so don't do that.) If you don't know what you're doing, call a travel agent and pay the service fee. It will be well worth it to avoid a mistake that may cost you extra or ruin your trip.