Now that passenger details have to be supplied in an airline booking, are you finding airlines are using this info to market direct offers to your clients?
Yes (75%)
No (25%)
What is the thing you dislike MOST about your job now? Check up to 3 answers.
Airlines should be paying us commission (15%)
Airlines are uncontactable and have dumped all the clients’ problems on us (26%)
Older clients need “babying” through the technology (2%)
I spend too much time making no money on cancelled flights and booking changes (21%)
High airfares make travel unsellable (15%)
Airline websites compete with us on price (20%)
What is the thing you love MOST about your job now? Check up to 3 answers.
Clients finally respect our knowledge and expertise. (34%)
I have a new client base of leisure travellers, willing to pay my fees. (16%)
We are making more money than before, and we have stabilised our business. (16%)
I love working in an office amid the camaraderie of my co-workers. (16%)
I love going out and mixing with colleagues at industry functions. (19%)
Are the dramatic increases in domestic airfares stopping people buying tickets? Compare August 2022 with March 2022 (number of tickets sold, not sales value).
Yes, the number of domestic tickets sold by me, compared with March this year, has dropped dramatically. (44%)
Yes, but only a slight change. (20%)
No, people are buying regardless of the crazy prices. (36%)
In 2022, is offsetting your carbon footprint more important to your clients than in 2019?
Yes (19%)
Unsure (28%)
No (53%)
As business recovers, what are the top 3 challenges for agents? (Choose 3)
Shortage of airline seat capacity (18%)
Lack of availability of visa appointments (25%)
Keeping up to speed with entry regs, country by country (11%)
Personal burnout (10%)
Lack of staff/co-workers (4%)
Constantly changing bookings as airlines cancel and move flights (12%)
More risk for agents (4%)
Understaffed suppliers - phones unanswered (7%)
Long wait times for responses and quotes from suppliers (9%)
In May, what percentage of your pre-Covid salary were you paid?
100% (45%)
80-90% (14%)
60-79% (10%)
40-59% (10%)
20-39% (3%)
0-19% (9%)
Unemployed due to COVID (8%)
In April, what percentage of your pre-Covid salary were you paid?
100% (39%)
80-99% (13%)
60-79% (11%)
40-59% (9%)
20-39% (7%)
0-19% (9%)
Unemployed due to COVID (12%)
What’s the most important when you book a flight?
Flexibility (i.e. the ability to make ANY change up to 24 hours before the flight, FREE) (41%)
Cheapest fare (30%)
Bookable on GDS (21%)
Preferred agreement with carrier (5%)
Relationship with airline staff (2%)
In March, what percentage of your pre-Covid salary were you paid?
100% (38%)
80-99% (15%)
60-79% (14%)
40-59% (12%)
20-39% (3%)
0-19% (7%)
Unemployed due to COVID (11%)
What do you value the most about booking on a GDS system?
We can control the booking (53%)
It counts towards our agency's GDS target (0%)
More productive - it's time-wasting to jump on and off websites (31%)
We are notified on queues of cxs, schedule changes etc (9%)
We are equally happy to book on airline websites and GDS (5%)
We dont use GDS at all, we only book on websites (3%)
In February 2022, what percentage of your pre-Covid salary were you paid?
Unemployed due to Covid (15%)
0-19% (8%)
20-39% (8%)
40-59% (15%)
60-79% (11%)
80-99% (15%)
100% (28%)
In January 2022, what percentage of your pre-Covid salary were you paid?
Unemployed, due to Covid (13%)
0-19% (15%)
20-39% (8%)
40-59% (13%)
60-79% (11%)
80-99% (13%)
100% (28%)
By the end of 2022, corporate travel will be
About 10% of 2019's volumes, or less. (4%)
About 15%-30% of 2019's volumes (31%)
About 50%-70% of 2019's volumes (59%)
About 100% of 2019's volumes, or more (7%)
In November, what percentage of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed due to Covid (16%)
0-19% (13%)
20-39% (7%)
40-59% (18%)
60-79% (10%)
80-99% (8%)
100% (28%)
When non-clients phone in asking for information about travelling during Covid-19, do you:
give them the info they want, free, over the phone (57%)
refuse to give them info unless you are doing the booking and charging a service fee (25%)
make them pay a service fee and then give them the info (18%)
In September, what percentage of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed, due to Covid (15%)
0-19% (14%)
20-39% (9%)
40-59% (19%)
60-79% (13%)
80-99% (9%)
100% (20%)
Are you ready for the anticipated influx of travel bookings when South Africa is dropped from Red Lists worldwide?
Yes, our organisational structure has remained the same. (54%)
No, we now have fewer staff and will have to take on more consultants. (23%)
Our consultants are all ITCs now - we can allocate work as it comes in. (23%)
In August, what percentage of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed, due to Covid (13%)
0-19% (25%)
20-39% (11%)
40-59% (18%)
60-79% (11%)
80-99% (8%)
100% (14%)
Are sales in your agency improving?
Yes (51%)
No (49%)
In July, what percentage of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed, due to Covid (18%)
0-19% (24%)
20-39% (12%)
40-59% (15%)
60-79% (13%)
80-99% (7%)
100% (11%)
In June, what percentage of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed, due to Covid (18%)
0-19% (20%)
20-39% (7%)
40-59% (17%)
60-79% (14%)
80-99% (9%)
100% (14%)
Can SAA become the industry's favourite again?
Yes - we still love our flag-carrier, no matter what. (4%)
Yes, but we want efficiency, fair pricing, great service and an airline we can be proud of. (24%)
Yes, but SAA must incentivise agents in order to regain marketshare. (3%)
No, there are better airlines already in play. (14%)
No, after all the tales of corruption, how can we trust SAA again? (55%)
In May, what percentage of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed, due to Covid (17%)
0-19% (19%)
20-39% (11%)
40-59% (15%)
60-79% (11%)
80-99% (6%)
100% (20%)
What are the greatest obstacles to sales of forward bookings to foreign countries for the second half of 2021?
No access (red lists)/no flights/quarantine on arrival for SAs at most-desired destinations. (61%)
Poor service to agents, skeleton staff in reservations. (0%)
Clients fear airline/operator/agency collapsing. (4%)
Clients fear cancellation, then no refunds, only vouchers. (7%)
Slow vaccination programme - travellers need vax. (11%)
Clients fear virus flare ups, lockdowns, new border closures while in destination. (14%)
Fear of +ve test on return boarding, then mandatory quarantine. (3%)
In April, what % of your salary were you paid?
Unemployed due to Covid (14%)
0-19% (27%)
20-39% (9%)
40-59% (20%)
60-79% (13%)
80-99% (5%)
100% (11%)
In March, what % of your salary were you paid?
0-19% (38%)
20-39% (13%)
40-59% (24%)
60-79% (8%)
80-99% (5%)
100% (12%)
Agents only: Over the past 18 months, have you booked NDC fares?
I have booked lots of NDC fares (3%)
I have booked about 50/50 of both (5%)
I used GDS fares only (91%)
When hotels give clients refunds for Covid-related cancellations, do they protect travel agents' commissions?