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Published: April 13 2016

New York, NY — Last month, the three major U.S. airlines added a significant layer of complexity – and cost – when tickets have more than two segments, according to an advisory from Protravel International, the travel industry’s leading luxury corporate and leisure travel agency. The carriers’ rule changes mean that unsuspecting online consumers will pay dramatically higher airfares as a result. However, Protravel President Patrick Fragale reassured its clients that its experienced travel agent advisors are not only well acquainted with the fare rule change, but more importantly are knowledgeable about ways to minimize costs for consumers needing to book multi-segment tickets.

“The airlines have provided the traveling public with one of the best arguments for why they should work with a travel agent,” said Fragale. “The change may come as a huge surprise to even the biggest road warriors, let alone the occasional traveler, who may have previously opted to book travel online. Yet the expertise of Protravel agents is unmatched because they thoroughly know the rules, as well as how to expertly navigate their clients through those rules to provide them with the best possible pricing, often resulting in savings of more than $1,000 per ticket.”

Fragale noted that while travelers booking a simple roundtrip ticket are not currently affected, those with multi-destinations on their ticket – particularly those traveling on business – are now being forced to pay as much as four to seven times the normal airfare. Protravel trained its nearly 1,000 agents about the rule change last month.

With an award-winning reputation, Protravel International is a recognized leader in corporate and luxury travel. Protravel was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in New York City. With annual sales reaching close to $1 billion last year, it has grown into 20 locations throughout the United States and the United Kingdom, plus a network of hosted agents throughout the U.S.