Author Topic: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.  (Read 25023 times)

Offline rcarentals

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Dear dansdeals community.

I am working on my market research, and I wanted to ask a few questions to understand a bit about how travel agents are perceived by some groups. Your honest insights are appreciated. (This is not a agent recommendation thread, nor a bashing thread - please keep this academic)

1.When if ever would you feel "this is a ticket I might/should or must call an agent for & why"

2. What is your current feelings on travel agents? (Negative , positive, you feel they are honest, or sly, or impatient or very friendly and helpful?

3. What are the features you most love about agents?

4. What are the features you dislike most?

5. What do you think agents should offer that they dont? (Creativity here is a plus - think "the future travel agency")

6. Have you ever received VIP services arranged by an agent, if so did you find it worthwhile to pay for that?

7. On an international ticket of $1000 each for a family of 4, if you decided/needed to book through an agent, what size fee would you feel good about paying, or do you feel there should be no booking fee "as agents already get commisions from the airline"?


(I hope this is the appropriate place for such a post but please dont turn the discussion into a debate about that. Mods if its not feel free to move it)

TIA
Do not boast for tomorrow, Because you do not know what the day will bear.(Mishlei C27.V1)

Offline JoeCha

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2015, 01:54:20 PM »
1.When if ever would you feel "this is a ticket I might/should or must call an agent for & why"
Never

2. What is your current feelings on travel agents? (Negative , positive, you feel they are honest, or sly, or impatient or very friendly and helpful?
Positive

3. What are the features you most love about agents?
Nothing

4. What are the features you dislike most?
Nothing

5. What do you think agents should offer that they dont? (Creativity here is a plus - think "the future travel agency")
Online booking

6. Have you ever received VIP services arranged by an agent, if so did you find it worthwhile to pay for that?
No idea what this is

7. On an international ticket of $1000 each for a family of 4, if you decided/needed to book through an agent, what size fee would you feel good about paying, or do you feel there should be no booking fee "as agents already get commisions from the airline"?
$0
"There is no such thing as bad whiskey. Some whiskeys just happen to be better than others" ― William Faulkner

Offline Yitz

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2015, 02:00:36 PM »
1.When if ever would you feel "this is a ticket I might/should or must call an agent for & why"
International flights
2. What is your current feelings on travel agents? (Negative , positive, you feel they are honest, or sly, or impatient or very friendly and helpful?
Helpful
3. What are the features you most love about agents?
Very caring, helpful with all issues
4. What are the features you dislike most?

5. What do you think agents should offer that they dont? (Creativity here is a plus - think "the future travel agency")

6. Have you ever received VIP services arranged by an agent, if so did you find it worthwhile to pay for that?
No
7. On an international ticket of $1000 each for a family of 4, if you decided/needed to book through an agent, what size fee would you feel good about paying, or do you feel there should be no booking fee "as agents already get commisions from the airline"?
just commission

Offline username

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2015, 02:04:39 PM »
1.When if ever would you feel "this is a ticket I might/should or must call an agent for & why"
 S/T only an agent can offer, like flexible returns on year long flights.


^^^

Offline yaakovl

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2015, 04:16:10 PM »
1.When if ever would you feel "this is a ticket I might/should or must call an agent for & why"
flights not bookable online or only with google transalate.

2. What is your current feelings on travel agents? (Negative , positive, you feel they are honest, or sly, or impatient or very friendly and helpful?
depends on the agent

3. What are the features you most love about agents?

4. What are the features you dislike most?

5. What do you think agents should offer that they dont? (Creativity here is a plus - think "the future travel agency")

6. Have you ever received VIP services arranged by an agent, if so did you find it worthwhile to pay for that?
sometimes

7. On an international ticket of $1000 each for a family of 4, if you decided/needed to book through an agent, what size fee would you feel good about paying, or do you feel there should be no booking fee "as agents already get commisions from the airline"? really varies depending on what you were getting. If they were getting you on to otherwise booked flights at times you prefer, anywhere up to 15%.

Offline Mordyk

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #5 on: January 07, 2015, 04:17:53 PM »
1.When if ever would you feel "this is a ticket I might/should or must call an agent for & why"
never

2. What is your current feelings on travel agents? (Negative , positive, you feel they are honest, or sly, or impatient or very friendly and helpful?
honest

3. What are the features you most love about agents?
nothing

4. What are the features you dislike most?
nothing

5. What do you think agents should offer that they dont? (Creativity here is a plus - think "the future travel agency")
no need for them

6. Have you ever received VIP services arranged by an agent, if so did you find it worthwhile to pay for that?
yes. some years ago.

7. On an international ticket of $1000 each for a family of 4, if you decided/needed to book through an agent, what size fee would you feel good about paying, or do you feel there should be no booking fee "as agents already get commisions from the airline"?
commission only


i feel that in todays internet age there is no reason for agents. besides, an agent gives you some options but online you see it all!
#TYH

Offline AI-TRAVEL

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2015, 05:26:43 PM »
1.When if ever would you feel "this is a ticket I might/should or must call an agent for & why"
   
A ticket I know will have to be changed multiple times or I don't have time to be busy with it.

2. What is your current feelings on travel agents? (Negative , positive, you feel they are honest, or sly, or impatient or very friendly and helpful?

Really depends on agent.

3. What are the features you most love about agents?

If something goes wrong with my booking (wrong date) I can blame them.

4. What are the features you dislike most?  If there sly then that.

5. What do you think agents should offer that they dont? (Creativity here is a plus - think "the future travel agency")

Online features. Have agents familiar with points etc that can help me use them for upgrades etc

6. Have you ever received VIP services arranged by an agent, if so did you find it worthwhile to pay for that?

Yes very worthwhile.

7. On an international ticket of $1000 each for a family of 4, if you decided/needed to book through an agent, what size fee would you feel good about paying, or do you feel there should be no booking fee "as agents already get commisions from the airline"?

 Depends on the type of booking. If was real simple like Phl-Tlv-Tlv-Phl then just commission. If it's more complicated then a set fee would be ok.

Offline ilherman

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #7 on: January 07, 2015, 05:40:36 PM »
1.When if ever would you feel "this is a ticket I might/should or must call an agent for & why"
Never
-10

Quote
3. What are the features you most love about agents?
Nothing

-100

Quote
5. What do you think agents should offer that they dont? (Creativity here is a plus - think "the future travel agency")
Online booking

-5. For the same reason you get a -10 and -100.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline ilherman

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #8 on: January 07, 2015, 05:42:05 PM »
1.When if ever would you feel "this is a ticket I might/should or must call an agent for & why"
never

2. What is your current feelings on travel agents? (Negative , positive, you feel they are honest, or sly, or impatient or very friendly and helpful?
honest

3. What are the features you most love about agents?
nothing

4. What are the features you dislike most?
nothing

5. What do you think agents should offer that they dont? (Creativity here is a plus - think "the future travel agency")
no need for them

6. Have you ever received VIP services arranged by an agent, if so did you find it worthwhile to pay for that?
yes. some years ago.

7. On an international ticket of $1000 each for a family of 4, if you decided/needed to book through an agent, what size fee would you feel good about paying, or do you feel there should be no booking fee "as agents already get commisions from the airline"?
commission only


i feel that in todays internet age there is no reason for agents. besides, an agent gives you some options but online you see it all!
-100
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline ilherman

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #9 on: January 07, 2015, 05:43:07 PM »
1.When if ever would you feel "this is a ticket I might/should or must call an agent for & why"
 S/T only an agent can offer, like flexible returns on year long flights.
+1 And some other really great stuff a good travel agent can offer.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline Mordyk

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #10 on: January 07, 2015, 05:47:46 PM »
+1 And some other really great stuff a good travel agent can offer.
If u need any of these services  you can call priceline, expedia, etc.
#TYH

Offline JoeCha

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #11 on: January 07, 2015, 06:01:32 PM »
-100
+1 And some other really great stuff a good travel agent can offer.
-10

-100

-5. For the same reason you get a -10 and -100.

No presidential candidate ever won a debate with a -1 or a +1000.
"There is no such thing as bad whiskey. Some whiskeys just happen to be better than others" ― William Faulkner

Offline Lou Bob

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #12 on: January 07, 2015, 06:06:10 PM »
No presidential candidate ever won a debate with a -1 or a +1000.
actually yes. But it wasn't with that exact loshon
Always use an Amex, you'll thank me one day.

Offline DMYD

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #13 on: January 07, 2015, 07:58:38 PM »
-100
Wow your really taking this hard!

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #14 on: January 07, 2015, 08:09:34 PM »
+1 And some other really great stuff a good travel agent can offer.
Please elaborate. I am happy to hear what else travel agents offer that I cant get online.
^^^

Offline thaber

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #15 on: January 07, 2015, 08:24:07 PM »
1.When if ever would you feel "this is a ticket I might/should or must call an agent for & why"

Mostly for convenience sake, if I need a lot of seats together or a particular itinerary

2. What is your current feelings on travel agents? (Negative , positive, you feel they are honest, or sly, or impatient or very friendly and helpful?

Negative, I feel they're incompetent and unhelpful. In every case in the last 5 years I've used an agent (3 or 4) it ultimately was easier and cheaper to go online and book myself

3. What are the features you most love about agents?
Concierge type service

4. What are the features you dislike most?
not neing available, long wait times, no answer to emails, terrible pricing

5. What do you think agents should offer that they dont? (Creativity here is a plus - think "the future travel agency")
online access somehow, where you can log in and see your entire trip, make changes etc.

6. Have you ever received VIP services arranged by an agent, if so did you find it worthwhile to pay for that?
No but I would if I thought it would make my life significantly easier without much extra expense

7. On an international ticket of $1000 each for a family of 4, if you decided/needed to book through an agent, what size fee would you feel good about paying, or do you feel there should be no booking fee "as agents already get commisions from the airline"?
agents get commission from airline. If I can go to the airlines website and book it myself in 5 minutes I don't see any reason to pay someone else to do that for me

Offline ilherman

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #16 on: January 07, 2015, 10:40:49 PM »
If u need any of these services  you can call priceline, expedia, etc.
You can't.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline Mordyk

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #17 on: January 07, 2015, 10:45:34 PM »
You can't.
Im talking from experience(with expedia).   They can help you with all of it.  We can agree  to  disagree
#TYH

Offline ilherman

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #18 on: January 07, 2015, 10:46:23 PM »
No presidential candidate ever won a debate with a -1 or a +1000.
Well, I was talking the exact, same language, as you were talking. You said, "we don't need TAs" with no given reason what so ever. Even you don't know the line well. I  was just giving my same unexplained -10 opinion.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline ilherman

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #19 on: January 07, 2015, 10:51:07 PM »
Please elaborate. I am happy to hear what else travel agents offer that I cant get online.
Student fares. Getting waivers for international trips with no weekends. Affordable international one ways. Some TAs can get you WAY better prices than online especially last minute when its very expensive online.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.