6 ms·

Advice: Use a good travel agent. In the UK I've used Trailfinders for many years for non-standard long-haul involving changes. They've dug me out of problems wh

Advice: Use a good travel agent. In the UK I've used Trailfinders for many years for non-standard long-haul involving changes. They've dug me out of problems when I;ve had them. Like time when my wife didn't pack my passport on a long-haul to Australia. I went back to get my passport, but would miss the first leg. The airlines autmatically cancel all other legs. The travel agent had sorted it all out while I was on the tube home, I ended up being able to catch up with the family in Singapore a day later after a flight via Düsseldorf. They earned their money that day.

Bishonen88 6y ago
On the other hand (just as anecdotal), I've flown a couple dozen times in my life (~50) and have never had any problems myself (luck plays a big role in this I reckon). Would I have used a travel agency, I'd probably be a few thousand euros lighter.
- count 6y ago
  If you know what you're doing, a travel agency is going to suck. Flying 100+ times a year, I hate when I have to deal with an agency, because it makes being 'agile' in the face of events much, much more difficult. If you DONT know or rarely travel, it probably IS worth effort. It's can be tricky to deal with things and know what you can/can't do in each situation.
  - FDSGSG 6y ago
    >If you know what you're doing, a travel agency is going to suck If you think this you probably don't know what you're doing. Working with a good agency is a breeze, but there are lots of shitty ones out there. Especially for hotel bookings 99% of the time you'd be stupid to not use a travel agent.
    - count 6y ago
      You're right, I guess all of the heavy travelers I know are just stumbling around in the dark and don't know what's going on. I've used a bunch of them for corporate travel, and at no point has it been a breeze. Knowing what fares are available on specific flights, seat assignments, etc. lets me get exactly the experience I want, without 'hoping they got me the seats I like' or anything. For hotel bookings I don't see what advantage they have over either the basic hotel websites or calling my status hotline for assistance in tricky situations. In all cases the travel agency removes my agency to work directly with the airlines or the hotel to fix issues.
      - FDSGSG 6y ago
        >You're right, I guess all of the heavy travelers I know are just stumbling around in the dark and don't know what's going on. If they're corporate travelers spending somebody else's money this is usually the case. >I've used a bunch of them for corporate travel, and at no point has it been a breeze. Knowing what fares are available on specific flights, seat assignments, etc. lets me get exactly the experience I want, without 'hoping they got me the seats I like' or anything. It sounds like you've just worked with the big shops that offer a terrible service. >For hotel bookings I don't see what advantage they have over either the basic hotel websites or calling my status hotline for assistance in tricky situations. Because of programs like FSPP, STARS and MO fan club you're essentially always going to get better value by booking through a travel agency the hotel has a relationship with. >In all cases the travel agency removes my agency to work directly with the airlines or the hotel to fix issues. In all cases the travel agency is in a far stronger negotiating position to fix any issues. If the hotel screws up something I'd much rather have my travel agent yell at them and arrange compensation for me than spend time dealing with it myself, the outcome will always be better this way because his business is worth much more to the hotel than mine.
        sandworm101 6y ago
        >> the travel agency is in a far stronger negotiating position to fix any issues. Maybe, but that assumes that the travel agent is actually working for you. What kickbacks does the agency get from the airline/hotel? That is the longer term relationship, far longer than any one-time customer-agent relationship. The agency would probably rather drop or mistreat a customer than damage their relationship with the airline/hotel.
  - sandworm101 6y ago
    >> Flying 100+ times a year Anyone flying that much does so in a very different world. Even without flashing cards or identifying yourself, airline employees and computer systems know you are valued customer, resulting in a very different user experience. This can be as extreme as you rarely ever being bumped off of flights, or as subtle as help lines pushing your cell number to the top of a wait queue. Like it or not, if you fly 100+ times a year you will get special treatment.
  - namdnay 6y ago
    Not necessarily, there are lots of things an airline agent won't or can't do for you, however valued your status. For example, adding ghost segments from another airline so that you can get cross-alliance IATCI without going to the desk at the airport
  - Angostura 6y ago
    Again I disagree. "I'm at tghe airport, my flight has been cancelled - can you get me out any other way" - 20 minutes later was sorted/.
CamelCaseName 6y ago
Small sample size, but I strongly disagree. I've managed missed flights, getting bumped, losing my passport and various planning failures, on my own. Everything works out in the end. The one time I used a travel agent (Flight Centre) for a trip at the beginning of the pandemic, I got screwed. They delayed me from calling the airline during the period where they were giving out refunds, and kept telling me to just wait. Then they refused to do anything, and directed me to speak with the airline, but by then it was too late. Now I don't trust anyone to handle my travels but myself. They don't have your best interests at heart by a long shot.
- FDSGSG 6y ago
  >They don't have your best interests at heart by a long shot. Huge shops like flight centre certainly don't, you're nobody to them. Their business primarily consists of selling terrible package holidays to clueless people. This is not what GP meant with "a good travel agent". The incentives are completely different for smaller agencies offering a personalized service.
  - metalliqaz 6y ago
    why would the incentives be different?
    - rusticpenn 6y ago
      The smaller and "good" agencies generally focus on customer service, while the bigger ones focus on customer acquisition through brand name and probably do not care about customer retention.
      - jdeibele 6y ago
        It used to be that airlines (and hotels and rental car agencies) paid enough in commissions that travel agencies made good money booking flights. Southwest Airlines, for example, has never paid commissions. As sites like Expedia grew, many (all?) other airlines and hotels have reduced and reduced their commissions. For some people, there's still value in saying "I want to take a trip to x" and let the travel agent work out the details. But the travel agencies now charge a fee to the customer because they get comparatively little from the businesses.
TheOtherHobbes 6y ago
Travel agents can't do much when the airlines are - at best - confused by what's happening. And at worst they're acting in bad faith to continue receiving income for flights which might exist but probably won't - either because of sudden restrictions, or because the flight will be >80% empty and an unviable loss. So they'll take the money to shore up revenue and cash flow, and then customers can fight their way through their systems to get it back when the flight is cancelled. All manner of hilarity ensues. (Unless you're one of those waiting - now literally numbering millions in Europe - then it's not funny at all.) Personally I'm not going to trust any airline with a flight booking until there's something resembling a reliable service again.
coredog64 6y ago
If you’ve got a high end credit card (something that charges $500 or more a year for the annual fee), it probably comes with a travel concierge service. Your wait time on the phone is going to be much shorter, and the credit card company is a large enough aggregate customer that they will have leverage you don’t.
drdeadringer 6y ago
> Use a good travel agent A part of me feels like "in the 21st century, why do I need a travel agent". Then again, maybe we all actually do need travel agents again. And I suspect it's all for the same reason.
- _jal 6y ago
  In general, you need agents to navigate complex systems with which you have little familiarity. Given the 21st century air travel features navigating complex automated systems designed to gaslight you into giving them interest-free loans, it seems like an agent is exactly what is called for. I expect the value of SME-assistance in a number of areas is going to increase, not shrink.
- TeMPOraL 6y ago
  I remember when I was a teenager that I was all into opening everything to digital self-service. I preferred doing business with companies that allowed me to do everything via their website, so that I could do things on my own and without unnecessary human contact. I thought this is how the world is supposed to work. Fast forward one and a half decade, today I, frankly, have more disposable income than free time. I'm tired of self-service bullshit (and companies always love to complicate things to create upselling opportunities). I avoid doing things through websites or apps. E-mails are better, because once the other side replies, it means a human has acknowledged my request so I get to ensure they understand it right, and if they screw up, they can't blame it on "the system". Phone calls are the best, because dealing with a human on the line is much faster than dealing with confusing websites and broken apps. And now I finally understand why travel agencies, all-inclusive holidays, concierges, secretaries, etc. all exist. It's for people who are at the stage in their careers where they have enough disposable income to use it to save time and frustration. Relying on digital self-service isn't a sign that you're an awesome self-reliant tech-whizz (like I thought in my teenage years). It's a sign you're not rich enough to pay someone else to deal with it.
supercanuck 6y ago
A local school had a trip to Sacramento booked through a travel agent. The Travel Agent went bankrupt and the Airline refunded the travel agent and did not refund the ticket to the parents. So, good being the operative word here as Travel Agents are prone to going bankrupt right now.
telesilla 6y ago
I swear by flightfox. I have had extraordinary service with them. Worth every cent. I can't tell you how amazing they have been for me and my family the last months. https://flightfox.com https://flightfox.com I'm not kidding. They got all my international flights refunded and booked flights that I thought were impossible. Paid for itself with each booking that needed expert attention.

Bishonen88 6y ago

On the other hand (just as anecdotal), I've flown a couple dozen times in my life (~50) and have never had any problems myself (luck plays a big role in this I reckon). Would I have used a travel agency, I'd probably be a few thousand euros lighter.

count 6y ago
If you know what you're doing, a travel agency is going to suck. Flying 100+ times a year, I hate when I have to deal with an agency, because it makes being 'agile' in the face of events much, much more difficult. If you DONT know or rarely travel, it probably IS worth effort. It's can be tricky to deal with things and know what you can/can't do in each situation.
- FDSGSG 6y ago
  >If you know what you're doing, a travel agency is going to suck If you think this you probably don't know what you're doing. Working with a good agency is a breeze, but there are lots of shitty ones out there. Especially for hotel bookings 99% of the time you'd be stupid to not use a travel agent.
  - count 6y ago
    You're right, I guess all of the heavy travelers I know are just stumbling around in the dark and don't know what's going on. I've used a bunch of them for corporate travel, and at no point has it been a breeze. Knowing what fares are available on specific flights, seat assignments, etc. lets me get exactly the experience I want, without 'hoping they got me the seats I like' or anything. For hotel bookings I don't see what advantage they have over either the basic hotel websites or calling my status hotline for assistance in tricky situations. In all cases the travel agency removes my agency to work directly with the airlines or the hotel to fix issues.
    - FDSGSG 6y ago
      >You're right, I guess all of the heavy travelers I know are just stumbling around in the dark and don't know what's going on. If they're corporate travelers spending somebody else's money this is usually the case. >I've used a bunch of them for corporate travel, and at no point has it been a breeze. Knowing what fares are available on specific flights, seat assignments, etc. lets me get exactly the experience I want, without 'hoping they got me the seats I like' or anything. It sounds like you've just worked with the big shops that offer a terrible service. >For hotel bookings I don't see what advantage they have over either the basic hotel websites or calling my status hotline for assistance in tricky situations. Because of programs like FSPP, STARS and MO fan club you're essentially always going to get better value by booking through a travel agency the hotel has a relationship with. >In all cases the travel agency removes my agency to work directly with the airlines or the hotel to fix issues. In all cases the travel agency is in a far stronger negotiating position to fix any issues. If the hotel screws up something I'd much rather have my travel agent yell at them and arrange compensation for me than spend time dealing with it myself, the outcome will always be better this way because his business is worth much more to the hotel than mine.
      - sandworm101 6y ago
        >> the travel agency is in a far stronger negotiating position to fix any issues. Maybe, but that assumes that the travel agent is actually working for you. What kickbacks does the agency get from the airline/hotel? That is the longer term relationship, far longer than any one-time customer-agent relationship. The agency would probably rather drop or mistreat a customer than damage their relationship with the airline/hotel.
- sandworm101 6y ago
  >> Flying 100+ times a year Anyone flying that much does so in a very different world. Even without flashing cards or identifying yourself, airline employees and computer systems know you are valued customer, resulting in a very different user experience. This can be as extreme as you rarely ever being bumped off of flights, or as subtle as help lines pushing your cell number to the top of a wait queue. Like it or not, if you fly 100+ times a year you will get special treatment.
- namdnay 6y ago
  Not necessarily, there are lots of things an airline agent won't or can't do for you, however valued your status. For example, adding ghost segments from another airline so that you can get cross-alliance IATCI without going to the desk at the airport
- Angostura 6y ago
  Again I disagree. "I'm at tghe airport, my flight has been cancelled - can you get me out any other way" - 20 minutes later was sorted/.

CamelCaseName 6y ago

Small sample size, but I strongly disagree. I've managed missed flights, getting bumped, losing my passport and various planning failures, on my own. Everything works out in the end. The one time I used a travel agent (Flight Centre) for a trip at the beginning of the pandemic, I got screwed. They delayed me from calling the airline during the period where they were giving out refunds, and kept telling me to just wait. Then they refused to do anything, and directed me to speak with the airline, but by then it was too late. Now I don't trust anyone to handle my travels but myself. They don't have your best interests at heart by a long shot.

FDSGSG 6y ago
>They don't have your best interests at heart by a long shot. Huge shops like flight centre certainly don't, you're nobody to them. Their business primarily consists of selling terrible package holidays to clueless people. This is not what GP meant with "a good travel agent". The incentives are completely different for smaller agencies offering a personalized service.
- metalliqaz 6y ago
  why would the incentives be different?
  - rusticpenn 6y ago
    The smaller and "good" agencies generally focus on customer service, while the bigger ones focus on customer acquisition through brand name and probably do not care about customer retention.
    - jdeibele 6y ago
      It used to be that airlines (and hotels and rental car agencies) paid enough in commissions that travel agencies made good money booking flights. Southwest Airlines, for example, has never paid commissions. As sites like Expedia grew, many (all?) other airlines and hotels have reduced and reduced their commissions. For some people, there's still value in saying "I want to take a trip to x" and let the travel agent work out the details. But the travel agencies now charge a fee to the customer because they get comparatively little from the businesses.

TheOtherHobbes 6y ago

Travel agents can't do much when the airlines are - at best - confused by what's happening. And at worst they're acting in bad faith to continue receiving income for flights which might exist but probably won't - either because of sudden restrictions, or because the flight will be >80% empty and an unviable loss. So they'll take the money to shore up revenue and cash flow, and then customers can fight their way through their systems to get it back when the flight is cancelled. All manner of hilarity ensues. (Unless you're one of those waiting - now literally numbering millions in Europe - then it's not funny at all.) Personally I'm not going to trust any airline with a flight booking until there's something resembling a reliable service again.

coredog64 6y ago

If you’ve got a high end credit card (something that charges $500 or more a year for the annual fee), it probably comes with a travel concierge service. Your wait time on the phone is going to be much shorter, and the credit card company is a large enough aggregate customer that they will have leverage you don’t.

drdeadringer 6y ago

> Use a good travel agent A part of me feels like "in the 21st century, why do I need a travel agent". Then again, maybe we all actually do need travel agents again. And I suspect it's all for the same reason.

_jal 6y ago
In general, you need agents to navigate complex systems with which you have little familiarity. Given the 21st century air travel features navigating complex automated systems designed to gaslight you into giving them interest-free loans, it seems like an agent is exactly what is called for. I expect the value of SME-assistance in a number of areas is going to increase, not shrink.
TeMPOraL 6y ago
I remember when I was a teenager that I was all into opening everything to digital self-service. I preferred doing business with companies that allowed me to do everything via their website, so that I could do things on my own and without unnecessary human contact. I thought this is how the world is supposed to work. Fast forward one and a half decade, today I, frankly, have more disposable income than free time. I'm tired of self-service bullshit (and companies always love to complicate things to create upselling opportunities). I avoid doing things through websites or apps. E-mails are better, because once the other side replies, it means a human has acknowledged my request so I get to ensure they understand it right, and if they screw up, they can't blame it on "the system". Phone calls are the best, because dealing with a human on the line is much faster than dealing with confusing websites and broken apps. And now I finally understand why travel agencies, all-inclusive holidays, concierges, secretaries, etc. all exist. It's for people who are at the stage in their careers where they have enough disposable income to use it to save time and frustration. Relying on digital self-service isn't a sign that you're an awesome self-reliant tech-whizz (like I thought in my teenage years). It's a sign you're not rich enough to pay someone else to deal with it.

supercanuck 6y ago

A local school had a trip to Sacramento booked through a travel agent. The Travel Agent went bankrupt and the Airline refunded the travel agent and did not refund the ticket to the parents. So, good being the operative word here as Travel Agents are prone to going bankrupt right now.

telesilla 6y ago

I swear by flightfox. I have had extraordinary service with them. Worth every cent. I can't tell you how amazing they have been for me and my family the last months. https://flightfox.com https://flightfox.com I'm not kidding. They got all my international flights refunded and booked flights that I thought were impossible. Paid for itself with each booking that needed expert attention.