airline tickets.

Ms Daisy Hart, travel manager of Butterfield Travel, said yesterday the booming interest in cheap tickets was proving "stressful'' for travel agents.

She complained that agents took the brunt of the price war between airlines.

"In the long run, it is twice as much work and financially we come out just about even,'' she said.

She estimated that bookings at Butterfield Travel were up 50 percent.

"Airlines never tell us in advance that they are offering low fares. The new pricing appears in the computer,'' she said. Travel agents received no advance notice because of anti-trust laws in the US, she believed.

The feeling of stress and over exertion in Bermuda's travel sector seems to be an Island-wide phenomenon. And it shows no sign of halting as the airlines continue to discount during the low season.

Mr. John Simons, manager at Action World Travel Consultants, said the reduced fares resulted in "much activity, but not much income''.

Mr. Macrae Mitchell, vice-president of travel at LP Gutteridge, said the cut-price war had been "a nightmare'' for his eight sales representatives, who were working long hours.

"I can't understand why the airlines are bringing prices down to unrealistic levels, when they are losing money,'' he said.

Favourite destinations are Raleigh/Durham, Florida and New York. Even business travellers were snapping up bargain fares, according to Mr. Mitchell.

Mr. Ron Kattawar, station manager at Northwest Airlines, defended the airlines' decision to cut prices.

"Air travellers are getting better deals and ultimately the travel agents and airlines are here to serve the travelling public. Competition is what it is all about,'' said Mr. Kattawar.

"The airlines also have to contend with a greater workload as they have to rewrite tickets and make refunds at airports.

"I regret the travel agents are having difficulties dealing with the lower fares. Northwest rarely initiates low fares, but has to match other fares to remain competitive,'' he said.