[eddmc]

A lot of travel agents are genuine flight experts. If you don't believe that then you haven't spent much time with good travel agents.

Also, it's not about the commissions. That went out with the '90's

Source: I've worked in this field for 13 years now and sell a SAAS product to travel agents.

[jeremyt]

Okay then, how do I find a travel agent that will book me the cheapest flight to London for 50 bucks?

[njr123]

You don't need a travel agent for that, just use skyscanner or something. The case where a TA adds value is something like: 'I am going from Australia to Canada for work, and I need to visit a bunch of small towns that are only served by regional airlines, and I need to be there on these exact dates.'