THIEVES STRIKING TRAVEL AGENCIES FOR AIRLINE TICKETS; POLICE SUSPECT TRIO IN WAVE OF RECENT VALLEY-AREA ROBBERIES.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Daily News Staff Writer

Travel agencies and bargain plane ticket seekers beware: A group of thieves has hit at least three San Fernando Valley companies this week to steal blank airline tickets and sell them to unsuspecting travelers, police said.

``I haven't seen this many robberies of travel agencies in a long time,'' said Los Angeles police Detective Ron Ponzi, who specializes in airline fraud. ``There's been a lot of robberies here in the last month.''

Authorities suspect the same group of two to three robbers is behind at least half a dozen travel agency robberies and burglaries in the Valley since mid-October.

The robbers are described as being from 18 to 23 years old, said Detective Al Aldaz of the Los Angeles Police Department's Van Nuys robbery section.

The men are about 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall with shaved heads or very short hair. They routinely wear ski masks and sometimes have a woman with them, Aldaz said. They have driven away from some of the thefts in a red import vehicle.

Within the past two weeks, such robberies have occurred in Santa Clarita, Glendale, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks and Granada Hills.

Only an hour after a botched robbery attempt at a Sherman Oaks travel agency Tuesday, the same two robbers hit another agency, Aldaz said.

They headed to Granada Hills, where they forced an agent and customer to the floor at gunpoint and tied their legs before they ransacked the office and got away with about 100 tickets, he said.

Jan Cosby, a travel consultant at My Travel Agent in Granada Hills, said that just an hour before the two men robbed her place, she received a fax from an airline association alerting her about the rash of area robberies.

``The only thing I can say is cooperate with them. Just give them what they want,'' she said.

No serious injuries have resulted in the robberies, police said. But the crimes have prompted the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide unit to examine the cases.

Because of the series of robberies, police have encouraged travel agencies to lock their doors during business hours and allow in only customers who have produced some identification.

``Have them knock, especially during this holiday season,'' Aldaz said.

If an agent is still suspicious, have the customer give them a driver's license or another form of identification through a mail slot, Aldaz said. Most thieves will not hand over identification.

Also avoid working alone, Aldaz said.

Police also encouraged bargain ticket hunters to go though the airline or reputable travel agencies or know the source of the sale for tickets.

The stolen tickets appear to be usable, but an alert airline ticket counter clerk should be able to tell by computer that they are stolen, police said. Some travelers have been left stranded or faced paying the full price when caught with bogus tickets.