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Available airline seats hard to come by

The hardest part of a travel agent's job these days isn't finding people interested in taking a trip - it's finding the flights to accommodate those potential vacationers. Scrolling through a list of available airline seats to the Dominican Republic destination Punta Cana from one wholesaler, Patricia Brodzinski of Gold Coast Travel in Eldersburg saw mostly zeros. A few seats were available during the summer period she had entered into the database, but options were limited. The hardest part of a travel agent's job these days isn't finding people interested in taking a trip - it's finding the flights to accommodate those potential vacationers.

Scrolling through a list of available airline seats to the Dominican Republic destination Punta Cana from one wholesaler, Patricia Brodzinski of Gold Coast Travel in Eldersburg saw mostly zeros. A few seats were available during the summer period she had entered into the database, but options were limited.

"It's been like this since January," Brodzinski said.

Airfares are up, but the demand for flights remains high, according to analysts and travel agents. With an increase in passengers, flight capacity hasn't kept up, making airline seats to many popular destinations hard to come by.

Gordon Wickes, owner of Cross Countries Travel in Westminster, said high airfares aren't deterring the passengers he's helped.

"People are just biting the bullet and doing what they want to do," he said.

Sandy Jenkins, of New Windsor, said she's planning a golf trip to Arizona in September. She said she prefers shortening her travel time by flying and isn't worried about the price. Jenkins said she'll look for deals on the Web.

Linda Redding, co-owner of the Westminster agency Travel Network, said travelers who are simply booking domestic flights tend to use online services, but they turn to travel agents when making more complex reservations, such as travel packages and international flights. Booking vacation packages with a travel agent generally does not require an extra fee, Redding said.

The air travel price index rose 9.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2005 from the fourth quarter of 2004, marking the highest index level since just before Sept. 11, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. That was the largest rise in the index level from the same period in the year before since the first quarter of 2001, according to the bureau.

The air travel price index measures the changes in the actual fares paid by air travelers for trips on U.S. carriers that begin in the United States. The index is designed to capture the price changes of the same trip routes on the same carriers.

Dave Smallen, spokesman for the bureau, said the number of passengers is up from previous years, while the number of available domestic flights is down slightly.

John Heimlich, chief economist for the Air Transport Association, the trade organization of the principal U.S. airlines, said airlines are trying to establish a better relationship with supply and demand. The seating capacity, he said, is down 2.3 percent domestically but up 4.4 percent internationally.

"It is true that demand is growing faster than capacity," Heimlich said. "Some peak flights will be full."

But, he said, flights have on average 15 percent to 20 percent unused seating capacity. He said that could change later in the summer, decreasing to 10 percent to 15 percent.

Carroll County travel agents said finding flights for travelers' summer trips can be challenging. European spots, particularly Italy, are popular this summer, they said.

"It's very tight," Redding said. "The summer is very booked up for Europe."

Redding and Heimlich said customers who want flights need to be flexible about timing.

The largest growth in summer travel, Heimlich said, is in the international market. That's in part because of inbound travel, he said, as foreign currencies are strong.

Also, Heimlich said, many travelers want to make their vacation count. If they have to go through the hassle of traveling, they want to go somewhere farther away.

Travel agents said the customers for whom they've planned trips are prepared to pay more, but not prepared to sacrifice their vacations.

"Even though travel's a luxury, we're adapted to luxury as Americans," said Rose Ann Fischer, a travel agent with Travel Network. "People work a lot and they're tired and stressed and they want to go away and get away from it all."

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