An idea I had about TA/OTA's
Before people go off on me about ethics, this isn't something I want to do. Just a thought is all.
I thoroughly enjoy digging up cheap airfare... And do it as a hobby. Call it a flight fetish. I have a friend that works at Flight Center that works off commission and mark ups. When ever he gets an inquiry he gets me to look into options for him to get the cheapest fares so he can mark up as much as possible. And 9 times out of 10 I can outsmart his GDS results. Sometimes through neat forced routings, sometimes with accidental fuel dumps, and most times through OTAs net fares that his GDS doesn't have access to so he can't see or book. He only has access to published fares.
So I was thinking... Why not start a sort of "travel brokerage" where I do the leg work for clients as a middleman.. and find them the cheapest fare possible with the freedom of booking on any platform... Including OTAs (not just a GDS) , and marking them up to a desired fare where they get it cheaper than they could have found it on their own... And I make money.
Essentially a human Trip Advisor, that searches all possibilities, but books it, and sells it for a profit?
Is this legal?