What term refers to the part of an airline or travel agency staffed by specialists in international airfares?

• A. Rate desk
• B. Reservation desk
• C. Ticket desk
• D. Fare desk

Answer: (A)

Pricing international airfares requires specialized knowledge of fare rules, carrier combinations, and currency/tax calculations. The group that handles building and quoting these prices is the rate desk. They maintain fare data, apply complex rules, and produce accurate quotes for multi-carrier itineraries, making them the go-to team for international pricing.

In contrast, the reservation desk deals with holding seats and creating bookings, and the ticket desk handles issuing tickets. A fare desk isn’t a standard term for this function in most agencies, so it doesn’t describe the pricing expertise as clearly as rate desk.