A good TA is going to charge a not-insignificant service fee for airline tickets, because other than some small airline overrides on commissions, airline tickets are issued at a cost to the agency - there are generally no commissions, and there are booking/segment fees, GDS costs, etc etc. There are fewer and fewer traditional agencies, but the lean and efficient ones, especially in more affluent areas where people just want good service, still exist. There just aren't many left.