Author Topic: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.  (Read 25013 times)

Offline thaber

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #61 on: May 12, 2015, 03:32:48 PM »
Can i file a DOT complaint against a travel agency? BOA Travel Rewards Center
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Offline ADG

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #62 on: May 12, 2015, 04:00:03 PM »
1.When if ever would you feel "this is a ticket I might/should or must call an agent for & why" If i cant find availability

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? I think they capitalize on ppls ignorance( which is ok)

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

4. What are the features you dislike most? not quick enough

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

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"? 0

Offline chff

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #63 on: May 12, 2015, 06:44:47 PM »
1.When if ever would you feel "this is a ticket I might/should or must call an agent for & why" If i cant find availability

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? I think they capitalize on ppls ignorance( which is ok)

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

4. What are the features you dislike most? not quick enough

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

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"? 0
Wow, you are angry

Offline username

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #64 on: May 12, 2015, 11:16:35 PM »
Can i file a DOT complaint against a travel agency? BOA Travel Rewards Center
Bump.
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Offline chff

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #66 on: May 13, 2015, 09:01:25 AM »
Can i file a DOT complaint against a travel agency? BOA Travel Rewards Center
Long story... I booked a flight through BOA TR Center. Airline cancelled the return flight, and TR is not giving me my points back yet. They say that they are waiting for the airline to credit them first. This has been going on since Jan. I call weekly, and every time its something like 'the guy in that dept who is handling it is out now, but we are escalating it...bla...bla...bla.
My claim is that i do business with the TA, not the airline. Dont give me a sob story about getting it back first, i dealt with an agent for a reason, so i dont have to deal with the airline.
Obviously i have nege'os, and think that i am correct. Wondering what others think.
Feedback appreciated

ETA: I speak with a supervisor every time...When i asked to speak to her supervisor, i cannot, and they say that if i have a complaint, the only one to complain to is BOA, the # on the back of my card.
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Offline ADG

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #67 on: May 13, 2015, 12:44:39 PM »
Long story... I booked a flight through BOA TR Center. Airline cancelled the return flight, and TR is not giving me my points back yet. They say that they are waiting for the airline to credit them first. This has been going on since Jan. I call weekly, and every time its something like 'the guy in that dept who is handling it is out now, but we are escalating it...bla...bla...bla.
My claim is that i do business with the TA, not the airline. Dont give me a sob story about getting it back first, i dealt with an agent for a reason, so i dont have to deal with the airline.
Obviously i have nege'os, and think that i am correct. Wondering what others think.
Feedback appreciated

ETA: I speak with a supervisor every time...When i asked to speak to her supervisor, i cannot, and they say that if i have a complaint, the only one to complain to is BOA, the # on the back of my card.

whats that?

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #68 on: May 13, 2015, 12:50:13 PM »
Negios=bias
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Offline 3yummyboys

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #69 on: May 13, 2015, 12:50:25 PM »
Long story... I booked a flight through BOA TR Center. Airline cancelled the return flight, and TR is not giving me my points back yet. They say that they are waiting for the airline to credit them first. This has been going on since Jan. I call weekly, and every time its something like 'the guy in that dept who is handling it is out now, but we are escalating it...bla...bla...bla.
My claim is that i do business with the TA, not the airline. Dont give me a sob story about getting it back first, i dealt with an agent for a reason, so i dont have to deal with the airline.
Obviously i have nege'os, and think that i am correct. Wondering what others think.
Feedback appreciated

ETA: I speak with a supervisor every time...When i asked to speak to her supervisor, i cannot, and they say that if i have a complaint, the only one to complain to is BOA, the # on the back of my card.


I agree with you. They are the travel agency which is why you used them. You can't book a new flight until the points are given back

Offline SearchGuy

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #70 on: December 20, 2015, 07:45:16 PM »
BUMP this thread?

Offline B.D.Da'ehu

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #71 on: December 20, 2015, 07:46:42 PM »
BUMP this thread?
Should merge with the other one...

Offline SearchGuy

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Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #72 on: December 20, 2015, 07:49:09 PM »
Should merge with the other one...
I think the other thread is on a very specific (disgusting from the costumer IMO) story and it's not a general TA discussion unlike this thread

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #73 on: February 20, 2017, 11:03:46 AM »
You didn't get a travel agent. You called a big agency like you would call Priceline, Priceline is also a travel agency.

For the future get a good local travel agent not someone with a huge office, someone who you got good feedback, who you will have his cell number and be able to get through him whenever you need.

I know a lot of good travel agents where if you would be their client you would already be on your way with United with a connection to YYZ etc.
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Offline shimino1

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #74 on: February 20, 2017, 12:10:36 PM »
I always tell people: "I don't sell flights, there are a thousand websites that do that. I sell service".

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #75 on: February 20, 2017, 12:11:01 PM »
I always tell people: "I don't sell flights, there are a thousand websites that do that. I sell service".

Like!

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #76 on: February 20, 2017, 03:07:21 PM »
I always tell people: "I don't sell flights, there are a thousand websites that do that. I sell service".
Guess who else serves the same "service"? Expedia, travelocity, each airline....in other words the "thousand web sites". I have yet to see on this entire thread what "service" a TA provides that isn't also provided by all of these competing service providers? Guess what TA's, you're one of the thousands of service providers, so you've got to provide services they don't!
On the other hand, I can tell you what "services" that these competing suppliers provide that in my experience TAs don't:
-Instant confirmation of your flight online and by email.
-24 hour access to make bookings and changes, from seats to flights.
-No additional fee.
-The same price or lower, especially when taking into account a fee.
-More intuitive view of choices and a greater number of choices (of routing, times, airlines, layovers....) I can look at a grid on ITA and or google flights and better see in 30 seconds what would take a TA 10 minutes to explain over the phone.

I was a government employee and had to book all business flights through our contract travel agent, SATO or Carlson Wagonlit depending who had the contract. My job involved flying small aircraft around the country and taking a commercial flight at the beginning, end, or both of the delivery, so I flew a lot with a lot of last minute changes, something where a TA should shine. They had a rudimentary online booking engine which was expedia circa 1999, and even it was light years ahead of any agent I spoke to. And we paid something like $40 every time we talked to an agent, even if the agent was worthless, which they were 100% of the time, as well as something like $20 for the privilege of using the online booking engine, which again was archaic. The sad thing was that GSA did all the heavy lifting of bidding out contract fares, so the travel agency was literally doing nothing but booking flights and they were 10X harder to use than any of the commercial booking engines. So anyone who says a corporate travel department should value a TA clearly hasn't had to live through working with a corporate contract TA!

Offline ReadsTheT&C

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #77 on: February 20, 2017, 04:41:17 PM »
As somebody who used DTS and Carlson Wagonlit numerous times while I was in the army, I can attest to their services being worthless. It was just another example of government spending the highest cost for the worst product.

Offline Myccrabbi

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #78 on: February 20, 2017, 06:53:52 PM »


Guess who else serves the same "service"? Expedia, travelocity, each airline....in other words the "thousand web sites". I have yet to see on this entire thread what "service" a TA provides that isn't also provided by all of these competing service providers? Guess what TA's, you're one of the thousands of service providers, so you've got to provide services they don't!
On the other hand, I can tell you what "services" that these competing suppliers provide that in my experience TAs don't:
-Instant confirmation of your flight online and by email.
-24 hour access to make bookings and changes, from seats to flights.
-No additional fee.
-The same price or lower, especially when taking into account a fee.
-More intuitive view of choices and a greater number of choices (of routing, times, airlines, layovers....) I can look at a grid on ITA and or google flights and better see in 30 seconds what would take a TA 10 minutes to explain over the phone.

I was a government employee and had to book all business flights through our contract travel agent, SATO or Carlson Wagonlit depending who had the contract. My job involved flying small aircraft around the country and taking a commercial flight at the beginning, end, or both of the delivery, so I flew a lot with a lot of last minute changes, something where a TA should shine. They had a rudimentary online booking engine which was expedia circa 1999, and even it was light years ahead of any agent I spoke to. And we paid something like $40 every time we talked to an agent, even if the agent was worthless, which they were 100% of the time, as well as something like $20 for the privilege of using the online booking engine, which again was archaic. The sad thing was that GSA did all the heavy lifting of bidding out contract fares, so the travel agency was literally doing nothing but booking flights and they were 10X harder to use than any of the commercial booking engines. So anyone who says a corporate travel department should value a TA clearly hasn't had to live through working with a corporate contract TA!

What you are saying about the instant and intuitive view of choices and the ability to change seats(can be done if bought through a ta as well online if you are familiar with trip case or check my trip)is very true and cannot be beat...

That very same element that makes it sound so attractive obviously is its faults as well, for example if the prices on the search showed  $600 and you are all excited and then it tells you the price is no longer available for that price, or sometimes it's so "intuitive" that it books you tickets from say PHL when you wanted NYC and it also did it 2 days before or after, this is just an example.

Another point, you mentioned about bad experience with the expensive travel agency your government job had a contract with, and it can very well be that a high society agency like that can be horrible because of the lack of need to prove themselves(which online travel agencies also suffer from since it's so popular) , but regardless when it comes to the point after the booking and the ticket needs to be changed canceled or voided I have yet to meet someone who says that it was easier to do it online, and I'm not even gonna go into little details like making a reservation and having the option to split the pnr which isn't available for online users, requesting bassinets for babies...

So, I'm not saying there are no shortcomings in using travel agents(you can't book with them 3am for example)but for a lot of people the "service" that agents offer some better some worse is amazing, there is a reason why the industry is still in business for the traditional travel agents.

Either way this is a very interesting topic and I'd love to hear more opinions on this matter .
If u work for a living, why kill urself working?

Offline shimino1

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Re: Travel Agent Market Research - Your thoughts on 21st century Agents.
« Reply #79 on: February 21, 2017, 12:34:39 PM »
Guess who else serves the same "service"? Expedia, travelocity, each airline....in other words the "thousand web sites". I have yet to see on this entire thread what "service" a TA provides that isn't also provided by all of these competing service providers? Guess what TA's, you're one of the thousands of service providers, so you've got to provide services they don't!
On the other hand, I can tell you what "services" that these competing suppliers provide that in my experience TAs don't:
-Instant confirmation of your flight online and by email.
-24 hour access to make bookings and changes, from seats to flights.
-No additional fee.
-The same price or lower, especially when taking into account a fee.
-More intuitive view of choices and a greater number of choices (of routing, times, airlines, layovers....) I can look at a grid on ITA and or google flights and better see in 30 seconds what would take a TA 10 minutes to explain over the phone.

I was a government employee and had to book all business flights through our contract travel agent, SATO or Carlson Wagonlit depending who had the contract. My job involved flying small aircraft around the country and taking a commercial flight at the beginning, end, or both of the delivery, so I flew a lot with a lot of last minute changes, something where a TA should shine. They had a rudimentary online booking engine which was expedia circa 1999, and even it was light years ahead of any agent I spoke to. And we paid something like $40 every time we talked to an agent, even if the agent was worthless, which they were 100% of the time, as well as something like $20 for the privilege of using the online booking engine, which again was archaic. The sad thing was that GSA did all the heavy lifting of bidding out contract fares, so the travel agency was literally doing nothing but booking flights and they were 10X harder to use than any of the commercial booking engines. So anyone who says a corporate travel department should value a TA clearly hasn't had to live through working with a corporate contract TA!
Wrong! Just wrong!
You are confusing two issues and making a mess of things.
I won't address the issues with your government agency. Your bad experience does not mean the whole industry is no good.

Regarding your point that "Guess who else serves the same "service"? Expedia, travelocity" Sure, let's see you work things out when your flight is delayed or cancelled and you are stranded at the airport with/without Wifi. Good luck working with a costumer service "specialist" from India who started work last week and parrots back to you everything on his computer screen in barely understandable English. Try getting last minute flights to Israel before pasach at a normal price with expedia. Try requesting a bassinet online for your child. Try to figure out what to eat on the plane when the brilliant  agent at travelocity messed up your Kosher meal. Try digging trough your emails to find the darn email they supposedly sent you that your flight was cancelled when you arrive at the airport without a clue.

All these things happen to people who book online. A good travel agent can make sure most of these things never happen. An OTA's job is to sell you a flight. After that, they won't do anything for you unless you proactively call them and work it out for them. A good travel agent is an industry expert who works on your behalf to make sure the things you care about are taken care of.

The point you made about searching online being easier than having the agent do it from scratch is a valid one (although not everyone knows how to properly search online) but why not find the flights you want online and email a travel agent to book it? I have people do this all the time. It's easier for the traveler and he knows that someone has his back if something goes wrong.