Q. Why do prices for airfare, hotels, and resorts jump up and down so much?

A. Well, the simplest answer is of course "Supply and Demand". Certain seasons tend to be busier than others and command higher prices. Airlines, hotels, resorts, and tour operators adjust their prices according to a schedule of high season, low season and shoulder season rates. High season for leisure travel often coincides with school breaks such as the Christmas break, university reading week, spring break, and summer holidays (June to early September).

If you try to book your March Break vacation at the end of February, a lot of flights and hotels are already sold out. There will likely be very few choices and the prices will probably be high. On the other hand, if an airline has a lot of unsold seats for a particular date and they don't think they can sell them all at full price, they often try to clear them out for discount prices. The same principle applies to hotels, resorts, cruises, and packaged tours. You can often get early booking discounts by paying several weeks or months in advance.

Q. How do I get the best price?

A. There are several tips to keep in mind here:

Q. What should I do if my trip must be cancelled prior to departure?

A. The Following steps should be taken to assure that all aspects of your cancellation have been covered.

• Call to cancel the reservation.
• Obtain the Travel Counsellor's name and request a cancellation number for each hotel reservation that exists.
• If you have already received your airline ticket, return the ticket to us as soon as possible.

Q. What protection do I have against an airline or tour operator going out of business?

A. As a legally registered travel agency and a member of the Travel Industry Council of Ontario, any bookings you make through Egan Travel are protected under a provincially administered travel industry compensation plan.

Q. How long does it take to secure a passport?

A. Every citizen is required to carry a valid passport to enter most foreign countries and to return. Processing time varies from region to region and can take weeks. In some cases, a passport application can be rushed due to emergencies such as the death or illness of an immediate family member.

Q. Will my Travel Counsellor help with rail reservations?

A. Yes. Your Travel Counsellor will make rail reservations. Tickets will be delivered to you prior to travel. Rail tickets cannot be prepaid to the travel agency for pick-up at the station.

Q. Why are there so many restrictions with the best fares?

A. Basically, you get what you pay for. Those people who are willing to pay for full fare tickets have the most flexibility. They have a wider range of dates, times, and flights to choose from. They can make changes, cancel their tickets, or get refunds for unused portions with little or no penalties. If you want a cheaper fare, you have to be willing to accept certain restrictions. Some of the common restrictions include:

• Booking in advance (usually 7, 14, or 21 days for air seats - sometimes weeks or months ahead for resorts and cruises)
• Penalties for changes or cancellations
• Staying over a Saturday night (North American flights)
• Staying at least one week (International flights)
• Staying no more than 60 days (sometimes 30 days)
• Travelling on a weekend (domestic scheduled airlines)
• Travelling on a weekday (charter airlines and international consolidators)

Q. Does making the reservation guarantee the airfare?

A. Once the reservation is confirmed and paid, the airfare is virtually guaranteed. Exceptions can include:

• The introduction of new taxes after booking but prior to ticketing or prior to the date of travel.
• Fuel surcharges if there is a drastic change in gas prices.
• Currency surcharges if your flight is part of a package holiday and there is a drastic change in foreign exchange rates.
• Penalties if changes are made or cancellation occurs after the ticket is issued.

Q. Should I confirm my ongoing or return flights when I reach a city?

A. We recommend that you confirm your original departure. Airlines strongly suggest that return or continuing flights be reconfirmed at destination or stop-over points. Airlines do experience last minute delays and flight cancellations due to inclement weather, equipment problems and air traffic delays. Therefore, it is wise to reconfirm on the day of departure.

International flights must be reconfirmed at least 72 hours before departure. A sound practice is to contact the airline immediately upon arrival at each destination, reconfirm your flight, recheck time of departure and furnish the airlines with your local telephone contact during each visit. If you encounter difficulties while travelling internationally, the our 24 Emergency Service is available to you 24 hours a day to assist your needs. Toll-free access is available throughout the world.

Q. What happens if the flight is overbooked and I am "bumped"?

A. Airline flights may be overbooked, resulting in a slight chance that a seat will not be available on a flight for which a passenger has a confirmed reservation. IF the flight is overbooked, no one will be denied a seat until airline personnel ask for volunteers willing to give up their reservation in exchange for a payment of the airline's choosing. If there are not enough volunteers, the airline will deny boarding to other passengers in accordance with their particular priority. With few exceptions, passengers denied boarding involuntarily are entitled to compensation. The complete rules for the payment of compensation and each airline's boarding priorities are available at all airport ticket counters and boarding locations. Some airlines do not apply these consumer protections in foreign countries, although other consumer protections are available.

Q. Should I return any unused tickets to the Egan Travel?

A. Tickets should never be destroyed or written on; they retain their cash value for 12 months from the date of issue. Unused or partially used tickets should immediately be forwarded to your Travel Counsellor for a possible credit.

Q. How should I deal with my credit card company regarding tickets that I have returned to the agency but still show as outstanding on my credit card account?

A. Refund requests are processed by Egan Travel upon receipt of the unused airline ticket(s). However, this does not mean that the credit will be immediately reflected on your credit card account. The process is as follows:

• A ticket refund notice notice will be immediately processed through the central reservation system along with a credit invoice through Egan Travel's accounting system.
• Returned tickets and supporting documents are forwarded on a weekly basis to the airline reporting center along with copies of all the new tickets issued.
• The processing center takes approximately one week to keypunch and verify all the documents.
• From there, the documents move on the the airline's accounting department. Since the original payment was charged to your credit card by the airline (not the travel agency), it is up to the airline to credit your account. This can take 1 to 2 weeks.
• From the time they receive notice from the airline, the credit card company can take up to to 4 weeks before applying the credit to your account.

Q. How do I notify Egan Travel regarding any airline tickets that I may have lost? How are refunds processed on these items?

A. If a ticket is lost while travelling, contact your Travel Counsellor for assistance. We will gladly assist you in processing your application and provide you with a copy for your records. Typically, a refund of a lost ticket takes 90 - 120 days to process. A service charge is imposed by the airline to cover the handling of lost tickets.

Q. Why is it that my frequent flyer mileage is not always credited by an airline?

A. If your personal profile contains your frequent flyer club membership number, we transmit this number to the airline when reserving a seat on that airline. Each airline has a different method of reflecting mileage credit to the member's account. Your name should be consistent in your profile and frequent flyer membership. For example, if your name is John Traveller in your profile, you should be registered in a frequent flyer program as John Traveller not John Smith-Traveller. Upon check-in, verify that your frequent flyer number is included in the airline's record.

Q. How can a hotel state that they have no record of a reservation? How should I deal with such a situation and what are my alternatives?

A. It is not unusual for airlines, hotels and car rental companies to claim that no record exists when in fact they may have overbooked or there is a malfunction in their system. Confirmation numbers or other booking details shown on your itinerary are evidence that the hotel or car rental company did in fact accept the reservation. Provide this data to the clerk on duty and if your problem is not resolved, call our office for help.

If you have proved that a reservation did exist but the hotel is full and unable to accommodate you, it is the responsibility of the hotel to find you a comparable room for the same price or less at another local hotel. We will assist you if they fail to meet their obligations and will follow up with a complaint to the hotel manager and to the hotel chain's head office.

Q. What should I do if the car rental desk says they do not have a reservation or are out of cars?

A. There are two reasons why a car rental company might say they don't have a reservation for you:

1. They have overbooked and don't have enough cars available.

2. They want to rebook you in their own computer system so as to avoid paying commission to the travel agency that reserved the car on your behalf.

Q.What should I do if the car has a defect?

A. Before leaving the rental parking lot a notation of any defects should be made on your rental contract by a representative of the rental company. Also, note the outgoing mileage printed on your contract and see that it corresponds with the car's odometer. If there is a difference bring it to the attention of the car rental representative immediately.

Q. Can Egan Travel make international car rental reservations?

A. Yes. We will make reservations for any country requested. It is normally much less expensive to book your international car rental from North America than to book one after arrival in your foreign destination.