The ability to book flights online directly has been available...

The ability to book flights online directly has been available for nearly a decade now.

But FLT's revenue keeps increasing each and every year despite the claimed online onslaught.

Why is this?

The online onslaught theory makes a few assumptions which are never seriously questioned, especially by the supposedly young crowd eager to do away with everything old and outdated belonging in their parents' era.

First, it is alleged that booking online is cheaper than booking with an agent. True or false? Hehe, do some research and you might be pleasantly surprised.

Second, it is assumed that all customers are only after flights. True or false?

Third, it is assumed that all customers have the ability and inclination to do all necessary research for their trips. There is also the implicit assumption that all customers are well versed in English, which is more or less the de facto online lingua franca. True or false?

Fourth, it is assumed that all customers value lower prices to the full exclusion of service. Perhaps consider corporate travel. If I am a corporate buyer, do I want to book everything myself for a trip with 12 employees on a work trip plus the hotel arrangement? Or should I just give Bill at Flight Centre a call and ask him to fix it all up?