With over 35 years of experience booking travel – 17 of those running my own retail store – it’s fair to say it’s been quite the ride watching the industry evolve.
The backbone of traditional travel booking is done through a GDS (Global Distribution System). It allows us to access hundreds of airlines, car hire companies, and hotels worldwide – all from a single platform with just a few entries. The first GDS I ever used was Tias, followed by Galileo, Sabre, and now Amadeus.
Back then, airlines, hotels, and car rental companies were not accessible online – because, of course, the internet didn’t exist yet in the mainstream sense. When the internet started emerging in the early 1990s, it was nothing like the world of instant access we know today.
In those early days, you called and spoke to a real person for just about everything. And if you needed to book a charming little B&B in Positano for a client – you would send a fax. Then wait. And wait some more. After about two weeks of back-and-forth, you’d finally get that lovely little room confirmed.
How things have changed!
Now you can send an email and get a reply almost immediately. You can read reviews online, compare options instantly, and search for anything and everything – all from your phone.
As airlines keep growing and looking for new ways to boost their profits, they seem to forget one important thing: the value of their relationships with Travel Agents.
Agents play a huge part in keeping customers happy and the whole booking process running smoothly.
Top reasons why you should use a Travel Agent:
- Travel Agents talk directly to customers, which takes a lot of pressure off airline call centres.
- It’s usually much quicker to book through a Travel Agent than online or over the phone.
- Airline call centres are often run by staff with limited experience, which means longer waits and slower help.
- Travel Agents are great at handling complex itineraries and can offer options you won’t get online or through a call centre.
- When plans change or flights get disrupted, a Travel Agent can step in right away and sort things out quickly.
With airlines pushing customers to book online and asking Agents to use their NDC (New Distribution Capability) platforms, Agents end up losing control over the booking. When something needs to be changed or fixed, they’re forced to deal directly with the airline’s call centres.
You’d think airlines would realise this only creates more problems – call centres get backed up, and Agents are constantly frustrated by inexperienced staff who struggle with even simple tasks. What would usually take an Agent two minutes often turns into a 30-minute (or longer) call with the airline.
Airlines really should aim to keep pricing consistent across all their booking platforms and reconsider the use of algorithms that raise fares based on customer searches.
Hopefully, airlines will return to better appreciating the important role Travel Agents play – and recognise the value and cost-effectiveness they bring to the overall customer experience.
