Booking a flight to the wrong Melbourne, skipping a seemingly unnecessary flight sector or discovering a transit visa requirement two days before departure – DIY travel mistakes can be expensive.
Travel News asked agents to share some of the more memorable DIY booking mishaps they have encountered – and, in many cases, been called on to fix.
Changes and corrections
“This happens all the time. The traveller books by themselves and makes a spelling mistake on the passenger name. They then come to an agent to rectify it for them,” said Amina Jones, Travel Consultant at Trips and Beyond.
Jones explained that, while spelling errors were a very common mistake that happened to agents and travellers alike, the value in using an agent was that they have the know-how and access to the back-end systems to make corrections much easier.
“I understand that this is a common human mistake, but as agents, we will make the travellers' lives easier because we will double check these details and make sure that the information and name on the booking is correct.
“Especially in this day and age, where changes, be it to names and information or flight schedules, are very common, travellers really will benefit from having an agent manage their bookings and their travel arrangements.”
Destination knowledge
Sue van der Toorn, Travel Director of Surfer29, recalled clients who inadvertently booked flights to Melbourne in the US rather than Melbourne, Australia.
“I had clients who booked themselves on Delta to Melbourne USA, instead of Melbourne, Australia. Tickets were non-refundable,” said Van der Toorn.
“An agent would have immediately noticed the airport code for the different airports and they would have known that Delta does not offer flights from South Africa to Australia’s Melbourne,” she said.
Complex fare rules
On Travelinfo’s OpenJaw Facebook group, Elize Malan, Owner of ELCO Travel, explained that one of her travellers lost a complex connecting flight booking because she did not understand the airline’s no-show policy.
“My traveller booked an Air France fare online; Johannesburg to Paris to Rome to Florence and back to Johannesburg via Paris. She then decided not to fly the Rome-Florence leg and took a train for a scenic trip. Air France marked her as a no-show, so when she tried to check in for her Florence-Paris leg, she had no ticket. The airline quoted her R54 000 for the one-way home,” said Malan.
“I got a call from her at midnight and managed to get her home for R15 000 on Ethiopian. The only option was for her to take the train back to Rome that night and board the Ethiopian flight the next morning. She never booked by herself online again.”
Malan told Travel News that travellers did not always realise that failing to use one sector of an itinerary could result in the cancellation of subsequent flights.
Transit visas
Visa requirements can also catch out DIY travellers, particularly when an itinerary involves transit through a third country.
Charmaine Lombard, Independent Travel Consultant at Lowveld Travel Hub, shared her story: “I quoted a client to go to Paris and did not quote the British Airways connection because of the transit visa. They decided to book by themselves and booked a flight with British Airways anyway, without understanding my reasonings. Just two days before their departure, they phoned me and asked me to help them with UK transit visas.”
According to Lombard, travellers from South Africa make travel decisions based on their friends’ experiences without considering that others often travel on more powerful passports or on other visas that have fewer requirements. She says they also get information from unreliable sources.
“I once had a client who told me that he doesn't need a Schengen visa because Google said so. I find that people do not properly investigate entry requirements and often rely on incorrect information from AI,” said Lombard.
Disruption management
Perhaps some of the most consequential impacts of not using a travel agent arose during the outbreak of conflict and the shutdown of global aviation hubs in the Middle East earlier this year.
Glenda Ingram, Owner of West Beach Travel, said one of her repeat clients decided to start DIY-ing his travel earlier this year and got stuck in Thailand when the Middle East conflict broke out.
“While the traveller is standing in this chaos, their travel agent is working behind the scenes, contacting airlines and suppliers, finding alternatives, rebooking your journey and keeping them informed,” said Ingram.
“A travel agent is someone in their corner, advocating for them and taking the stress and uncertainty out of an incredibly difficult situation. When the unexpected happens, travellers don't just need a booking, they need someone who knows what to do next.”
