3 ms·

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 'a

by 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.
      - namdnay 6y ago
        The agent doesn't get kickbacks from the airline or the hotel. The agent gets a kickback from the distribution system, which itself charges a fee to the airline. Airlines don't want agencies, they tolerate them because they still bring the vast majority of traffic (except for some lowcosts, e.g. SWA, Ryanair)
        FDSGSG 6y ago
        AFAIK if they're in a partner program like FSPP the kickback will come directly from the chain, and these are exactly the bookings where travel agents can offer the most value.
    - count 6y ago
      We'll just have to continue living in different worlds. That's never been my experience, ever. If they're not a big shop, they're going to have even less leverage with the vendors than I do as the valued customer. If they are a big shop with leverage, they're not going to give a shit about me. And are you confusing 'better experience' or 'save money'? Sure, I'll definitely grant you that it might be cheaper booking through an agent, especially if you buy a package/etc. That's not, in my experience, ever a better experience. The goal is to not suffer, not safe a few hundred bucks.
      - FDSGSG 6y ago
        Most of my holidays are in the mid 5 figures range, shorter work trips tend to average around 2k/night. I'm not looking for cheap deals, but for a better experience. I don't buy packages, I mostly design my own itineraries. I work with a boutique agency with around 10 staff, their yearly volumes with the chains I frequent are in the tens of millions. There are lots of agencies like this, you only need a couple of billionaire clients making regular 500k bookings to have a plenty of leverage. I always thought travel agents were bullshit until I found out about the perks offered trough the Four Seasons preferred partner program and figured I'd give it a shot for a single booking. After check-in the agent called me to make sure everything went smoothly, I pointed out a tiny issue regarding the check-in progress that I would've immediately forgotten about if not for the fabulous service recovery arranged by the agent. After that this agency has had all of my business.
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/.

by count 6y ago

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.
    - namdnay 6y ago
      The agent doesn't get kickbacks from the airline or the hotel. The agent gets a kickback from the distribution system, which itself charges a fee to the airline. Airlines don't want agencies, they tolerate them because they still bring the vast majority of traffic (except for some lowcosts, e.g. SWA, Ryanair)
      - FDSGSG 6y ago
        AFAIK if they're in a partner program like FSPP the kickback will come directly from the chain, and these are exactly the bookings where travel agents can offer the most value.
  - count 6y ago
    We'll just have to continue living in different worlds. That's never been my experience, ever. If they're not a big shop, they're going to have even less leverage with the vendors than I do as the valued customer. If they are a big shop with leverage, they're not going to give a shit about me. And are you confusing 'better experience' or 'save money'? Sure, I'll definitely grant you that it might be cheaper booking through an agent, especially if you buy a package/etc. That's not, in my experience, ever a better experience. The goal is to not suffer, not safe a few hundred bucks.
    - FDSGSG 6y ago
      Most of my holidays are in the mid 5 figures range, shorter work trips tend to average around 2k/night. I'm not looking for cheap deals, but for a better experience. I don't buy packages, I mostly design my own itineraries. I work with a boutique agency with around 10 staff, their yearly volumes with the chains I frequent are in the tens of millions. There are lots of agencies like this, you only need a couple of billionaire clients making regular 500k bookings to have a plenty of leverage. I always thought travel agents were bullshit until I found out about the perks offered trough the Four Seasons preferred partner program and figured I'd give it a shot for a single booking. After check-in the agent called me to make sure everything went smoothly, I pointed out a tiny issue regarding the check-in progress that I would've immediately forgotten about if not for the fabulous service recovery arranged by the agent. After that this agency has had all of my business.

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/.