Being in Europe the situation is different than the US in a number of ways.

I would agree that asking your new co-workers as well as asking the former TA are good steps.

It is a fallacy that airlines "pulled commissions for airfares." Only those not knowledgeable of the system say that. Look at airline P&L statements - still millions of dollars in commissions. For domestic travel, no commission is widely true. But definitely not for international travel.