With a travel consultant, clients benefit from receiving stays, and transportation for their vacation without any extra effort. If you’re a travel agent, never let your clients book their own flights. Especially when they’re paying additional costs for your services!
Letting your clients book their own airfare will only result in lower commissions, missed deals, and lost information. Read on to discover why travel agents should never let clients book their own flights!
Table of Contents
What Can Go Wrong When Clients Book Airfare?
The Agent Loses Commission
Sky Bird implements 3 Global Distribution Systems to provide our agents access to discounted airfares. These fares aren’t readily available online. The travel consultant can increase their commission by quoting a flight ticket price higher than the original payment. At the same time, keep the price below other online rates to give your clients the impression of saving money!
Plus, you can earn additional commission on hotels, car rentals, cruises, and customized tours with Sky Bird Travel!
The Agent is Seen as "Incomplete"
Travel agents are hired to bear the weight of trip planning and share their expertise in the travel industry. If you don’t handle your clients’ flights, it will create a gap in your service. You’ll also miss out on receiving business from the VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) market.
VFR travelers are mainly in need of airline tickets, not tours and hotels, which travel agents earn commission on! Helping your clients with flights will also help you become a special agent amongst them and their circle.
The Client Might Make an Error
Clients can use modern travel websites to book a vacation in the least amount of clicks possible. Overwhelming online options can confuse them during their online flight search. These include departure times, arrival times, layovers, connecting flights, etc. Search results pages might not show the true fee.
This is a routine ticket booking for the travel agent. However, to the customer, this could be a confusing place. They can mistakenly book the wrong date or time for their flight.
Not to mention, misleading airport names could send your clients hours away from their destination. Like the Paris-Vatry Airport, that’s 93 miles from France’s capital city.
Clients Find A “Better Deal”
When clients search for their own airfare, they could fall into the common trap of booking an inexpensive offer. Without the guidance of a travel agent, the customer may not realize the true final offer. This doesn’t include hidden fees like bag checks, travel insurance, or cancellation penalties. These extra costs can put your client in jeopardy if their vacation budget can’t accommodate additional unplanned expenses.
Customer Spends More On Land Packages
Every vacation has a budget for lodging, transportation, plane tickets, land activities, and, of course, the travel agent. The bulk of that money is consumed by airfare, which is typically the first vacation item booked.
When your client spends more on airfare, their budget does not allow space for land excursions and activities. These are the elements you rely on for commission. You don’t want to send your client on vacation without a complete plan. This is especially true when they’re paying thousands of dollars to be there.
Start Booking Flights with WINGS
If you don’t book flights for your clients as a travel agent, you’re missing a great chance. Register with the WINGS Booking Engine for free! Clients will have a better experience and a better vacation, while the travel agent will earn a better commission! Once registered, you can also use WINGS to book discounted hotels, car rentals, tours, and more.