Etihad office swaps face to face for 24/7 support

ETIHAD announced at the
end of July that any ticket
bookings or updates would
be dealt with through its
website or call centre, as
the airline’s Johannesburg
ticketing and reservation
office would no longer handle
passengers.
A spokesperson for Etihad
Airways said the move would
allow the airline to increase
its service delivery by
switching to a 24/7 support
operation. “The change
reflects growing demand
where guests required 24/7
access and the use of digital
platforms to book and amend
their travel requirements
when flying with Etihad
Airways.”
However, some agents have
expressed concern over what
they view as a trend that
has seen airlines neglecting
face-to-face relations with
their clients and with the
trade. Inge Beadle, co-owner
Corporate Travel Services,
says: “This example
illustrates a tendency by
airlines to shut out the
agent and the public from a
personal visit or query.”
Monica Horn, product
manager of Harvey World
Travel, also points out that
most centralised call centres
are a challenge in terms
of the language barrier
and knowledge of the local
market.
For Dinesh Naidoo, group
operations director of SWG,
however, closing a walk-in
office is not necessarily
a bad thing for an airline.
“Most airlines in the South
African market have a strong
sales force with reps that
visit travel agents regularly.
As travel agents, we do need
support from airlines, but this
is handled through a good
relationship with the airlines’
sales reps.”