I think you will find it harder today to get travel agents to "plate away" than it was several years ago. When most airlines first put a $50 cap on travel agency commissions several years ago, agencies began "plating away" on America West, who didn't have a cap. This circumvented the cap and obviously, the other airlines were upset and began invoking what had previously been a seldom-used rule against "plating away" - and threatened to "pull the plates" (i.e., cancel ticketing authority) of any agency that continued that practice.

As a result, today agencies are reluctant to do what they would gladly have done several years ago.