LOCAL TRAVEL AGENCIES FEEL EFFECTS OF TICKET FARE DROP

Cape Girardeau travel agents said that a "nightmarish" surge in airline bookings was caused by Southwest Airlines' recent price cuts.

Fares for some regions of the country, said Peggy McLain of Designing Travel in Cape Girardeau, dropped below $60 for the three-month booking period.

McLain said that the actual surge of ticket-selling began on July 13. By the time residents of Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area picked up on the sale, however, only limited tickets remained.

"The media was slow and, on Monday, when people started calling like crazy, we were having trouble getting them the flights they wanted," said McLain.

"People were jumping at the chance to get the low rates and were taking trips that they hadn't normally planned on taking," said McLain.

After Southwest dropped its fares to $25 per one-way ticket, other airlines followed suit by lowering their rates.

While the sale was "great for business", she said, both travel agents and customers were frustrated by the limited availability.

McLain said one client stood in an airport for four hours only to find the flight completely booked.

The Southwest sale was also hectic for Carolyn Kempf, owner of Elite Travel in Cape Girardeau. "So many people called on Monday that our multi-line telephones were jamming, and our corporate clients couldn't get through for hours at a time. The staff and I were putting in 12 to 16 hour work days, and we were getting up in the middle of the night to call Southwest Airlines."

Jammed phone lines was a common occurrence for the travel industry early this week. A Southwest Airlines representative said that, during the first days of the sale, phone lines were so jammed and active that "AT&T was shutting off our phone lines, and the phones were physically hot to the touch".

Mark Hill, owner of Carlson-Wagonlit Destination Unlimited in Cape Girardeau, said that in four years, he had not seen a surge in ticket sales like this one.

"The only time I've ever seen it this bad is when we sold all of our tickets at half price," said Hill.

Agreed Kempf: "I've been doing this for 10 years, and this is the worst I've seen it."

Local travel agents conceded that even in lieu of recent airline accidents, customers still believe airplanes are the safest method of travel.

Bob Neff of Cape Girardeau is taking advantage of the reduced rates to plan a trip to Florida. He is not scared by the recent crashes.

"If it were an international flight, we might have taken some different precautions, but I still think flying is a safe way to go," Neff said.

Neff and his family were already considering the Florida trip, when the reduced rates "pushed them over the edge."

Reduced rates, according to local agents, will not last long.

"Most of our space, especially for the major cities, is gone," said Kempf. And, as soon as all Southwest flights are booked, tickets will be sold at regular rates.

"As soon as Southwest gets the response they want," said McLain, "they'll remove their fares all together."