What people reading this thread should take away is that the airlines have basically stopped paying commissions on tickets.

Agents think they have a solution which is to sell consolidator tickets. It's great because unlike a published airfare, the consolidator can print any price on the ticket he wants. It's not impossible for the agent to be making 300% profit while the consumer blishfully believes that he paid a normal commission.

There is nothing inherently wrong with buying a consolidator ticket. But you'd better make sure that the underlying consolidator is reliable, and what the agent is earning.

It's even more complicated because some consolidators compensate agents with commissions like the airline did in the distant past, and many consolidators deal directly with the public.