“I feel torn… travel is in my blood and I feel like I just need to push through for a few more months of this chaos, but I am seriously thinking of throwing in the towel.”
Travel agents in South Africa voiced their despair on Open Jaw by Travelinfo this week, many saying that the chaos of the current travel environment was untenable and they were battling to deliver on basic booking procedures.
Jareen Schoeman, Director of Sure Outeniqua travel in George, says her preparations for travel post-COVID have all been for naught. “I thought I was ready, flying under the radar and not taking a salary, waiting out the pandemic until travel got going again. Now it has and clients desperately want to travel, but we have been left out in the cold.” Schoeman was speaking of the lack of support from airlines and embassies, now that even the most basic travel bookings are becoming a liability because of schedule changes, cancelled flights, visa processing times and lost baggage.
“I thought COVID was bad; this is even worse! At least during COVID the supply chain was strong and we all supported each other. Most airlines now have just dumped their clients and agents and there is no plan B. There are fewer options to reschedule flights to different times or airlines, no endorsement of bookings, flights are simply being cancelled and clients are left with no options and, on top of that, we cannot apply for a US visa before March 2023!”
Debbie Werner, owner of The Travel Space in Cape Town, believes that travel agents are in crisis mode all the time. “We went through so much during COVID, upskilling ourselves, keeping agencies afloat on fumes and now we are ready but the rest of travel is not. Agents have taken on an enormous amount of responsibility on behalf of clients, making sure documentation is current, updating on COVID protocols, keeping up with travel volatility and preparing our clients for safe and seamless travel. But many, particularly embassies and airlines, have just stepped away. They are not taking any responsibility for their clients. We are on our own with this chaos.”
Says Schoeman: “Agents charge for their expertise and clients expect us to take responsibility for their travel arrangements But we are getting absolutely no support from many suppliers who are key links in the travel supply chain. I dread looking at my queues because I know there are going to be more cancelled flights and no way to re-route clients. UN status on flights comes through at the last minute, which means there are no seats on alternative flights. Surely the airline knows the flight has been cancelled (before the last minute). Give us the opportunity to do an involuntary change! It’s simply not fair.”
She adds: “When a client calls to make a new booking my heart sinks because it is likely they won’t be able to get a visa or the flight tickets are too expensive or there are no seats available. It is soul destroying.”
Werner believes the ‘human factor’ that was encouraged and prevailed during COVID has gone. “We cannot get hold of many airlines for assistance. They do not offer a Plan B. We are on our own here trying to deliver the same service our clients expect. Morale is at an all-time low when client expectation is at an all-time high. Good travel agents are emotionally invested in their clients’ travel and work very hard to make sure their journeys are as trouble free as possible.
“This is worse than it was in 2021 when travel was already difficult. At least then, we had more support from the industry to facilitate travel getting going again. There is no plan B here, no way to cope with the mess and assist our clients to the best of our ability. We have simply been abandoned.”
