Air: No
I fly AA almost exclusively. My Platinum status gets me through to an agent relatively quickly 24 hours a day, and I know if there are any problems at any time, AA both booked the ticket and is providing the transportation. This way I don't have to go through a middleman with my reservation if an emergency comes up. Also, most TAs charge a fee for booking airline tickets, now that commissions are so low.

I also book on AA.com most of the time.

Car: No
I rent exclusively with Avis. With my preferred select status, I quickly get through to someone, usually on the first couple of rings (without having to go through a voicemail system). They already have my profile, so I just need to give them my wizard number and I have a reservation. They're also good about putting my requests in the reservation, so if I want a specical car - it's usually there.

I also book on Avis.com, unless I have a complicated rental (one-ways, special insurance/authorization to go to Eastern European countries, etc.)

Hotel: Yes
I always use my TA for hotels. Unlike airfare and car rental quotes, I typically get several hotel prices before making a decision. My TA can bring up all of those rates for me quickly, rather than me calling several different hotels directly, or going to different Web sites.

But, there are two factors that are the most important in my decision to use my travel agent. First, I am very demanding in what I expect from a hotel. My travel agent specializes in luxury travel and she has been to or has had clients stay at great hotels worldwide. So, if I'm going to a city for the first time, she can give me some guidance about which hotels I should stay in. I always check things out online, but she still has information that's more targeted towards me.

Second, my TA can typically get me upgrades or other benefits similar to the benefits AmEx Plat/Centurion members get at some hotels.

A final reason is that after the stay, if there were any problems I can type up a letter and have my TA submit it to the hotel. Hotels always seem more interested in making sure that she and her firm are happy (by making me happy) than they do about making me happy if I contact them directly. It's the same as the letters in Conde Nast's Ombudsman. When people contact the companies directly, they get ignored or little satisfaction. When the Ombudsman contacts the companies on behalf of the readers - all of a sudden the companies are apologetic and offering all kinds of free stuff to make them happy.

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