Booking Your Own Flights!
I understand the scepticism when a travel agent tells you not to book your own flights! There are so many reasons to NOT do it that aren’t apparent until a crisis arises.
The political situation in the Middle East is the perfect example of what we offer that you simply cannot do yourself with ease!
Travel agents like myself are continually fielding questions from desperate travellers who have booked online themselves.
I spoke to a client today whose Granddaughter booked online and spent most of the day yesterday trying to sort out her Qatar flights. If she had been half way through her trip, she would be paying phone charges and wasting a day of her travel to try to deal with these sort of issues. If she was on a tour this could be almost impossible and then she would be arriving at a foreign destination, after-hours, trying to resolve problems.
Despite the pressure to help family and friends of our clients who have not used our services, we cannot assist, as we have no authority to do so without having created the bookings in the first place.
Having made your own reservation you are restricted to that airline or booking source to amend, re-route or cancel your booking.
A Travel Agent not only gets the updates on flight cancellations and who is still flying but also is given the information on what other airlines may be used or routes and the amendment fees or waivers. They also, of course, can advise you what alternatives are available so you don't miss out on your holiday plans.
I fail to see why anyone would want to traverse the minefield of airlines and airfare rules themselves when one phone call or email and your Travel Agent does the work!
You may think you have a good price but frankly, most agents can match on-line pricing or better it, whether it is airfares, hotels or cruises. More importantly, they can offer a myriad of other options you may want to consider before you make an informed decision.
By all means, do the research....I work with many customers that like to do just that, and we work together to create an itinerary that they love!
Three key points to remember!
- Agents can match & better on-line prices and offer more options and services
- Save yourself time and stress and let your agent handle it
- 24/7 backup assistance
Savvy travellers realise the value...don’t find out the hard way!