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How you annoy us!

25 Jan 2017 - by Debbie Badham
Comments | 0

AGENTS say airlines do

not care about the trade

and their clients. Their

biggest gripe is airlines’ inability

to personally answer agents’

queries, while airlines say their

number-one annoyance with

agents is their inattention to

fare rules.

In a survey on eTNW last

week, 99% of agents said

airlines needed to care more

about their passengers and the

trade. “Airlines don’t respect

travel agents enough. We were

their bread and butter before

the Internet,” one agent said.

Agents’ top five gripes are:

1. Being directed to an

international call centre or

website for assistance;

2. Airlines overbooking flights

and bumping off passengers;

3. Being kept on-hold for trade

support;

4. Not earning commission for

all their hard work; and

5. Spending time searching

through reams of information

on an airline’s website for

answers.

Other gripes included

understanding complicated

fare rules, never-ending ADMs

and the lack of communication

regarding strikes, policy

and schedule changes, and

refunds.

The survey asked agents how

helpful airlines’ trade support

desk was when assisting them

with a query and 47% said

sometimes the trade support

desk was helpful but they

had to call back to get more

information. Agents say airlines

could improve on training their

trade support to be better

equipped to handle queries.

“Having someone at trade

support who is knowledgeable

and helpful makes a world of

difference,” said one agent.

Airlines’ websites prove

inefficient in giving agents the

information they need to make

bookings. 71% of agents said

that although the websites

were useful, they spent too

much time navigating reams of

information for an answer. Only

3% said the sites had all the

information they needed and

were easy to navigate.

Airlines have their say

Meanwhile airlines have

significant gripes about agents.

TNW asked five online airlines

to rank their top bugbears with

agents.

1. Agents needed to read

airlines’ fare rules, said

100% of the airlines

questioned. Instead they

complain about clearly

stipulated penalties and ask

airline representatives for

confirmation on fare rules

easily sourced from the GDS.

2. Agents expect waivers and

favours, not acknowledging

that these come at a cost

to the airline. “Often agents

book the wrong dates or

names and expect the

airline to waive fees. These

fees cannot just be waived

otherwise agents would be

able to do as they please

without repercussion.”

3. Agents must remember

to check automated

messages in their bookings

pertaining to ticket time

limits (TTLs) said 60% of

airlines questioned. “Airlines

cannot extend TTLs as they

are generated based on

booking details. If agents

advise passengers of the

implications of not paying on

time, then they can advise

them with ease why there is

a difference in price when

the time comes.”

4. Agents must ensure they

insert their passengers’

correct contact details in

reservations to ensure

airlines are able to

communicate delays,

changes to flight status, etc,

say airlines.

Tying for fifth place were:

agents querying technical

problems in a booking with

the airline rather than their

GDS Helpdesk; agents asking

airlines for assistance with

tasks such as visa approvals

(which are completely out of

the airlines’ hands) and seating

(which airlines say agents

can handle themselves) and

agents failing to advise their

passengers of the ticket rules,

visa requirements, customs’

prohibited items, etc 

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