Monday, May 19</SPAN - Friday, May 23, 2008
Published 5.23.2008
Town's only travel agency closing Second Street doors; will be home-based
By , Enterprise Staff Writer
Enterprise photo by Amy Learn
Chris Wistey is pictured inside her business, Mountainview Travel, Thursday, May 22. The difficulty and cost of dealing with airlines has led her to run her business out of her home - where it all started 30 years ago.
Livingston's last remaining travel agency is closing its Second Street doors and becoming a home-based business.
After 30 years, Mountainview Travel is moving back to where it started - in the home of owner Chris Wistey.
Dealing with airlines has gotten to be difficult and expensive, Wistey said. She felt downsizing her business was the feasible decision.
Booking flights will be the only service she will no longer offer. Customers may still receive her booking services for tours, cruises and group trips.
Wistey said it would be harder to close the doors if she wasn't going to continue working out of her home.
"I started it in my home, and now that's where it will end," Wistey said.
She also will be directing tours, a dream of hers, in Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, and Grand Teton National Park for Caravan Tours.
Knowing she gets to do both direct tours and be a travel agent makes everything easier, Wistey said.
Dropping flights from her services will save her time and money.
"The amount of time and difficulty that goes into booking flights is almost unprofitable," she said.
According to Bozeman Chamber of Commerce member Ed Schmidt, owner of Travel Station in Bozeman, in 1994 airlines made the first commission reduction for travel agencies. Before the cut, agencies received a 10 percent commission, but the reduction dropped it to $50. The cuts continued until no commission was being paid.
The cuts were made because distribution was the airlines' highest expense, and if they could drive customers to the Internet, they could minimize it, Schmidt said.
"I believe we are the only industry that sells another industry's product for free," he said. "And if we screw up, we get charged for it."
Montana Travel in Bozeman charges customers $20 to $35 per ticket booking. There are some complaints about the fee, said owner Sue Leigland, but it seems people keep coming in. She thinks they are unsatisfied with Internet booking because of lack of customer service.
Leigland and Wistey agree working with airlines is getting to be extremely time-consuming.
Wistey said it was not uncommon to come to work and have to deal with 20 some changes made by the airlines.
"An airline may make a change, and if no other one matches it, they may change it back," she said. "Keeping up takes a lot of work."
According to Wistey, the airline industry is making cost cuts everywhere, upping fares and cutting jobs.
Leigland said the outsourcing airlines do to save money is causing a headache for agencies.
"Since airlines are outsourcing, it seems the people they have doing it aren't familiar with the problems we have," she said. "It seems the airlines themselves aren't happy with the outsourcing."
Schmidt believes it is not the airlines' fault for the problems in the industry. He said it is "life" and the "economy."
"The fuel crisis is hitting the airline industry hard," Wistey said.
According to Leigland, a plane ticket price doesn't show the extra fuel charge. The fuel surcharge is running $40 to $150 per ticket.
There are a lot of loopholes a travel agent faces when booking flights, and every single booking has its own challenge, Wistey said, adding there is so much research, and things are constantly changing.
"Airlines don't advertise specials like cruises do - you almost have to stumble on them," she said. "We are always studying."
The last week has been humbling and surreal, Wistey said, and some of her very first customers returned to use her services.
Mountainview Travel can be reached at its original number, 222-6206, and Wistey said if someone wants, they can stop in at her house.
