Is it cheaper to book flights through a travel agent?

Sometimes, but not always — and the honest answer is that the real value is usually in service rather than headline price.

Agents can access negotiated and group fares that consumer sites do not show, which often helps for groups of ten or more and for complex multi-city routes. On simple point-to-point domestic routes, public fares are frequently competitive. Where an agent genuinely earns their keep is when a flight is cancelled, a connection is missed or a schedule changes, and a person handles the rebooking for you instead of a call queue.