CONSULTANTS say a lack
of travel opportunities
has taken its toll, with
the biggest barrier being the
scarcity of subsidised air
tickets, leaving an increasing
number of agents unable to
sell product effectively.
Agents wrote to TNW
expressing their frustration
about the lack of sponsored
opportunities, particularly
when it comes to air travel.
“How does an agent tell a
client whether Airbus 320
business-class seats fully
recline if the agent has never
seen the aircraft? Once the
agent says they have never
been on the plane the client
loses faith in them,” said
one consultant.
“Without this experience,
we risk our customers
knowing more than we
do about a product and
destination, and we fail
to add true value to the
customer,” says ceo of
Asata, Otto de Vries. He
says if travel agents want
to position themselves as
more than just transactors,
gaining first-hand experience
of products and destinations
is crucial.
Many professionals believe
airlines could do more to
alleviate the situation.
“Most airlines give agents
discounts on the full
economy class but then
you might as well buy the
cheapest available ticket,
said one agent. “Etihad’s
agent portal provides
opportunity to travel if you
sell a certain amount of
tickets. But as a small
leisure office competing
with big offices in terms of
who can sell the most, it
means opportunities are very
limited.”
“Airlines should give agents
an opportunity to experience
their products by at least
excluding the YQ/YR taxes
on agent specials,” said
another consultant.
“If airlines operate on 70%
load factors, why can’t they
use the remaining capacity to
assist agents to experience
their products and gain
first-hand knowledge of the
destinations they fly to?”
says Otto.
SAA spokesperson, Tlali
Tlali says the airline believes
it could see this issue as an
opportunity, but that product
would have to be promoted
in conjunction with tour
operators.
He says the airline could
identify flights with low
load factors and release
special agent fares. “We
could promote these via
our marketing department,
as we do for our distressed
routes.”
However, it’s not just the
airlines that could do more
to help. Tlali says travel
agencies don’t subsidise
educationals as much as
they did in the past.
One senior agent told TNW
that travel incentives for
agents should be included
in the deals big agencies
negotiate with airlines. If
agents were incentivised
with the opportunity to
travel on condition that they
sold a certain a number of
that airline’s tickets, they
would be highly motivated to
achieve their targets
and sell more tickets, the
agent said
