Consolidators are independent discount travel brokers who sell tickets directly to the public or travel agencies, or both. Consolidators obtain their tickets through international airlines that sell their surplus seats on a reward system for large volume and block purchases.

Under the Federal Aviation Act, although it is technically illegal for consolidators (a.k.a. bucket shops overseas) to sell you discounted airline tickets, it is not illegal for you to buy them.

Consolidators are usually located in large metropolitan areas. They advertise their extraordinary low international (and some domestic) fares in the travel section of the newspapers. You can also find them in the classified section of USA Today. Sometimes an airline will give you the name of its consolidator, especially those servicing Third World countries. We advise you do a lot of shopping around before buying, ticket availability and prices vary.

Some people are wary of using a consolidator rather than a retail travel agent for several reasons including:

• Consolidator tickets are often for less-than-direct routes. They originate only from gateway cities so you have to arrange getting to the gateway city separately.
• There may be stiff penalties for canceling or missing the flight. Also if you miss the flight the tickets are usually good only on the issuing airline and only for the flight for which they were issued.
• Most of the time you are unable to pick the airline, flight time or specific route to your final destination. Sometimes, especially during peak periods, there are a limited number of consolidator tickets available.
• Consolidators are not regulated and some operate using unethical or unsound methods. As we mentioned in our discussion of coupon brokers (who sometimes are also consolidators), always pay for your tickets with a credit card to insure protection of your purchase. We also recommend that you ask for your tickets as soon as possible. The idea is if something goes wrong, you'll have time to get it fixed.
• Beware of altered tickets, examine handwritten tickets for any signs of changes. If it is a computer generated ticket, look for stickers used to change information in various fields. Check with the airline make sure you have a valid ticket.

Consolidators are often reluctant to name their airlines, simply promising a major scheduled carrier. This is because the airlines fear naming them could undermine their fare structures.
Consolidators
Apple Vacation,San Jose Ca,Phone: 800-800-0202
Campus Travel,Minneapolis, MN, Phone: 800-328-3359
City Tours,Rutherford NJ
Phone: 800-238-2489