Larry Seal, an executive leadership coach who spends about 100 nights on the road each year, uses a travel agent any time he travels for work even if he has to pay for it out-of-pocket.
Once, his connecting flight in Germany was canceled while he was on a flight from Istanbul. By the time he landed, his Tempe, Ariz.-based travel agent, Lisa Pinczewski-Sweet, had rebooked him on another flight and emailed him the changes.
“My time is valuable, and no matter how good the website or app, the value of a deeply experienced and widely connected travel agent who can ... smooth a detail or fix a miscue makes for nice peace of mind,” says Seal, CEO of EngagedLeadership in Beverly Hills, Calif. “I have enough to occupy my mind when I am traveling and working or vacationing and don’t want to worry about anything.”
The Internet is flooded with websites that let travelers serve as their own travel agents. But many travelers say they’d rather have someone guide them through the process, especially when they’re on work trips that take up a lot of time and energy.
Now at least one travel booking site is acknowledging the need for more of a human touch. CheapAir.com last month announced a new service that assigns each customer to an in-house travel adviser to help with reservations, itinerary changes, travel mishaps and more.
Customers will no longer have to deal with automated call lines or outsourced customer service agents. After they make flight, hotel or rental car reservations on CheapAir.com, they will receive an e-mail with their travel adviser’s name, e-mail address and direct phone line.
“Travel booking has shifted online over the last decade and a half, which is great, and brings enormous benefits,” says Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir. “But there has been some collateral damage.”
He says that many airlines and online travel agencies “have taken the fact that most travelers don’t need human assistance to mean that it’s OK to provide those who do with only offshore support or robotic call attendants,” he says. “We have heard that, from time to time, some travelers still need extra help.”
Travelers are increasingly signaling that they need the occasional hand-holding by turning to online concierge services such as MyAssist, which started in 2005. During the holidays, trained agents helped travelers locate lost baggage, book rental cars and even play Santa over the phone.
“In a time of need, there is no greater value than speaking with a real person,” says John Noel, CEO of MyAssist. “Often these situations can be complex and require the experience and analytical skills of a trained travel professional.”
Adam Weissenberg, vice chairman and leader of Deloitte’s U.S. Travel, Hospitality and Leisure practice, says travelers are more willing to turn to professionals when they’re dealing with unusual locations or high-end luxury and specialized travel. More senior travelers are also more likely to seek help, he says.
“I think even though online continues to grow, there will always be demand for that personal level of service for certain segments of the traveling population,” he says.
Still, the number of travel agents has dwindled in the last decade. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 64,680 full-time travel agents in 2012. A decade before, there were 95,360.
Their revenues, however, have gone up. Travel agencies generated $17.5 billion in revenue in 2011, up from $9.4 billion in 2002, according to the Census Bureau. Part of that is because of higher pricing, but it can also be attributed to increased productivity thanks to technology. For instance, agencies used to have a backroom of agents who put together paper tickets and mailed them to clients.
“There’s a reason that travel agents are still the largest channel for airline, hotel, cruise and car companies,” says Zane Kerby, president and CEO of the American Society of Travel Agents. “We provide valuable guidance, expertise and personal touch to the traveling public.”
Traditional travel agents say technology has made it easier to book flights and other accommodations and deal with unforeseen changes. That’s given them more time to provide even more personalized service, they say.
© 2014 USA TODAY. All rights reserved.
