Not to mention the fact that the fares are very complicated. That is not to excuse their lack of knowledge, but rather to explain it. Would you understand everything if you didn't have this board as a guide? Maybe, maybe not, but I think most who aren't familiar with the fare would really struggle in trying to figure all the rules out. For the most part, these are not the types of tickets the average agent gets involved with. Those that do them often usually know or have a general understanding about things, but those who seldomly do these tickets really are in the same position as anyone on the street when it comes to figuring out the rules and valid routings. They just happen to have access to the rules and CRS. So, guide them through the process, be patient, point out rules, don't get the ol' knickers in a twist when agents screw things up, and have a different airline issue the ticket if the carrier won't budge on something known to be incorrect. It's their revenue loss.