Where we are and what the future holds
STAR Alliance has introduced
four additional Round the
World (RTW) fare levels.
Clients can now choose
between 14 RTW fares: three
for travel in first class, four
in business and seven in
economy class.
Economy-class fares will
now be determined through
a combination of the total
number of stops made and the
total mileage used. Through
the introduction of new fare
levels, customers can now
select fewer stops for a lower
price. For example, a traveller
using a 29 000-mile RTW
ticket can now choose seven
stops and make an average
saving of 10%. The most
economical option is the one
that enables travellers to fly for
a maximum of 26 000 miles,
making between three and five
stops.
Business-class travellers
also now have the option of a
lower fare covering up to
26 000 miles – this is in
addition to the previously
existing fare levels of 29 000,
34 000 or 39 000 miles,
which are still on offer. The
number of stops allowed will
remain at a maximum of 15
and a minimum of three.
First-class RTW options
remain the same.
Education and training
1.How did you as a young consultant/the young
consultants in your agency end up in travel?
They studied tourism and
hospitality
They studied to become a travel
agent
They didn’t choose a career in
travel, it was by chance
They moved from another sector
(airline, hotel, car rental, etc.)
Their family was in travel
Other
2.What qualification do you have?
Like their more experienced
counterparts, the majority of Gen
Y consultants have received their
qualification from a college. However,
there are fewer of them (Gen Y =
44%; Gen X = 55%) and more with a
university degree (Gen Y = 16%; Gen
X = 10%). 16% of respondents have
a qualification that is not related to
travel or tourism.
3. What workplace training does your agency offer young consultants?
When asked what training they
would like to receive more of, the
majority of Gen Y respondents said
education on product and geography.
Secondly, they said training on
ticketing of complex fares. They also
mentioned that they would like to
improve their knowledge on visas,
would like more training in sales and
would like to travel more.
4. What skills do Gen Y need?
TNW asked both groups to select
the top five most important
skills and knowledge that young
consultants should have.
Sales experience
Ticketing of complex airfares
Good knowledge of geography
Good product knowledge
Travel experience
High energy, friendly ‘people person’
Highly organised, with attention to detail
Ability to work under pressure and manage stress
Ability to work at a fast pace
Ability to profile clients
Strong written and verbal communication
Good researcher
Good knowledge of visa requirements and work permits
Familiarity with booking expenses, reporting and other technology systems
Bilingual/multilingual.
5. How are things changing in the development of skills? Gen X vs Gen Y
TNW asked both groups to rate
themselves on what their top five
strongest skills were .
Sales experience
Ticketing of complex airfares
Good knowledge of geography
Good product knowledge
Travel experience
High energy, friendly ‘people person’
Highly organised, with attention to detail
Ability to work under pressure and manage stress
Ability to work at a fast pace
Ability to profile clients
Strong written and verbal communication
Good researcher
Good knowledge of visa requirements and work permits
Familiarity with booking expenses, reporting and other technology systems
Bilingual/multilingua
Both groups feel the strongest skill
they have is the ability to work under
pressure and manage stress.
The majority of Gen Y respondents
did not rate good knowledge of
geography and ticketing complex
fares as one of their strongest skills,
whereas Gen X participants rated
themselves highly in these areas.
Both groups rated their adequacy
in sales skills further down the
list but Gen Y was slightly more
confident, with 44% of respondents
listing it as a top-five skill. 40% of
Gen X respondents listed sales as
one of their top strengths.
Both groups rated the ability to
profile clients low on the list of
skills they have. Only 24% of Gen X
and 9% of Gen Y listed this as one
of their top strengths.
82% of Gen Y participants
thought they had enough training
to adequately do their job, while
48% of Gen X thought young
consultants should have more
access to training.
6. Examinations
An overwhelming 94% of
respondents (from both groups)
are in support of the concept of
examinations and professional
grading as a way to raise the
standards in the travel industry.
7.What is your company’s policy regarding educationals?
43% of Gen Y said
educationals were linked to
incentives and rewards, only
23% of Gen X respondents
agreed.
The majority of Gen X
respondents (63%) said fam
trips were to educate and
upskill staff, only 37% of Gen Y
participants agreed.
A small percentage of each
group (20% Gen Y, 14% Gen X)
said educationals were taken
by the most senior consultants
or the manager.
Salaries
How much do you easrn?
The majority of Gen Y consultants who
participated in the survey said they earned
between R5 001 and R8 000 per month
(monthly gross, before deductions).
22% said they earned between R11 001
and R16 000 and 8% said they earned
between R16 001 and R20 000.
The majority of the more senior
participants (Gen X) indicated they earned
between R20 001 and R30 000 (32%).
Not surprisingly, Gen X earn more than
Gen Y, with around 20% of both groups
saying they earned between R11 001 and
R16 000.
Only 3% of Gen X participants said they
earned over R50 000 a month.
8. How often do you travel?
Travel agents don’t travel.
Both Gen X and Gen Y said
they either travelled once a
year, or never!
The majority of
respondents (both groups
combined) said they travelled
once a year (47%). A huge
33% of participants said
they never travel. 17% said
they travelled three or four
times a year, whereas only
3% travelled once a month
or week.
