Travel Tips: Where to Book Your Flight Ticket? (Part 3)

(Part 3 of 3: Booking at a Travel Agent)

This is the last in a series of articles designed to provide you with tips to help you plan accordingly and navigate the nooks and crannies of booking your flight.  These are general guidelines that will provide travellers with a brief introduction to booking flights through a travel agent. However, it is important to understand that there are always exceptions to the points mentioned here and that experiences will vary depending on the agent you choose. After considering the advantages and disadvantages, it is up to the traveller to determine which booking method is most suitable to their needs. 

Your journey essentially begins once you book your flight ticket.  As most travellers know, you typically have three ways to do this: 

• a) online either through a carrier's website or an online travel website (e.g. Travelocity); 
• b) visiting the carrier's ticketing office; and 
• c) visiting an accredited travel agent.  

This article will discuss the pros and cons of booking your flight with a travel agent. A travel agent is basically an "extension" of the airline in the sense that they are authorised to sell flight tickets on behalf of the airline.  They are however independent firms that also sell tickets of other airlines including those competing with one another.  This enables airlines to stretch the reach of its distribution network without having to set up multiple ticket offices in every city.  Travel agents can also make arrangements for hotels, cruises, guided tours, and travel insurance among other things. 

In the past decade or so, airlines have been scrambling to rationalise their operations preferring that passengers book their flights online.  This has prompted complaints from travel agents, particularly in the Philippines as they fear they will lose clients. But in spite of the benefits that the internet brings to both consumers and airlines, there are still reasons why travel agents are valuable. 

PROS

Passengers who wish to book through a travel agent will experience most of the same advantages as when they visit an airline's ticket office. However, there are a few additional distinct advantages with travel agents.  

• Closer to a passenger's actual residence.  Nowadays, an airline's ticket office, particularly if it is an international airline, tends to be found only in the city centre.  If it is a foreign airline, there is usually only one ticketing office.  Travel agencies however are scattered well beyond the city centre and may be found in suburban areas.  So if you wish to book a Cathay Pacific flight but reside in Baguio, there is no need to drive for eight hours to reach its Manila ticketing office, when you can reach a travel agent in just 20 minutes or less.  Of course, if you are friends with a travel agent found on the other side of town, you are free to visit that travel agent and book your flights there. 
• Less busy phone lines.  When you call an airline directly, it usually takes a long time before an agent handles your concerns.  But with a travel agent, you have a somewhat better chance of being served faster.  They provide several telephone numbers.  You can also email them your request and they can get back to you as soon as possible. 
• More options.  A travel agent has real-time access to other airlines so you can ask the staff to compare the options available and reserve a flight on different carriers until you finally decide which carrier to actually fly with.  This way the passenger does not have to contact each carrier separately to decide which flight provides the best value for money. They can also tell you if a lower price is available from a competing carrier rather than your airline of choice.
• Interline ticketing concerns facilitated.  Travel agents have an idea which carriers have interline ticketing and codeshare agreements with each other.  A passenger will not have to second guess whether they will enjoy seamless travel experiences when taking connecting flights. 
• More holiday packages available.  A travel agent doesn't only offer flights.  They can bundle flights with hotels, transport to/from the airport, cruise experiences, and excursions for bigger savings than if purchased separately.  This way, you can ask the travel agent to help you with arrangements for your entire holiday, not just certain aspects of it.  This can be especially helpful for group travel.
• Better handling of specialised groups.  Whilst most travel agents can cater to the general travel needs of anyone who walks into their office, some travel agents also exist to cater to particular market segments or purposes.  These include students, group travel, and travellers bound for specific destinations. By going to specialist travel agents, you can get better rates and packages, advice for your intended destination, visa assistance, and any other help required that pertains to your agent’s target market.  

CONS

Booking through travel agencies usually share the same number of disadvantages involved with booking through an airline's ticket office. There are also challenges and other difficulties that are unique to booking with a travel agent.

• Managing bookings can't be done with the carrier directly.  If you need to change your flight or request special meals, you will not be able to do this with the airline directly unless your travel agent refers you to them.  You must call your travel agent to request for and process these changes.  This may become problematic when it is a weekend and when your destination is in a different time zone from the travel agent’s office.  This may not be a problem if you are travelling in groups, especially a business travel group if staff from the travel agent’s office are accompanying you.  
• Mileage redemption and some promos aren’t handled here.  If you are looking to redeem your frequent flyer points for free flights or upgrades, you will be unable to do it using a travel agent.  This is something that is handled by the airline exclusively.  The same is true for certain promos such as “buy one, take one” tie-ups with other credit cards.  Even if you can redeem mileage through travel agents, this will not come without additional paperwork on the passenger’s part. 
• A small premium or service fee may be charged.  Travel agencies receive commission from the airlines for selling their tickets to passengers.  Consequently, this means that prices will be slightly higher if coursed through a travel agency than booked online. 

OTHER TIPS IN DEALING WITH TRAVEL AGENTS

Given that you are no longer dealing with an airline or hotel directly, it is also important to know what you are entering into.  Unscrupulous individuals posing as staff of travel agencies may approach you and solicit your business.  If an offer is too good to be true, it probably is and you will bear the consequences of the agent’s misdeeds if you are not careful.  Here are a few more tips and things to consider when dealing with them.

• Read the fine print before committing to a purchase.  You should be doing this anyway with an airline but because you are no longer dealing with them directly, this becomes all the more important.  You need to know what are the things you, the travel agent and the airline are each responsible for.  This pertains to fare conditions or any travel services that they may offer such as visa handling.
• Deal only with accredited travel agents.  One way of doing this is to check if an agent is an accredited member of the Philippine Travel Agents Association (PTAA). You can review the list of members on their website and check to see if the travel agent has a PTAA sticker on the door or window of their office. 
• Ask around.  This is especially important if a travel agent purportedly offers promo fares.  If it is offered by a travel agent you haven’t heard of, check to see if travel agents you are more familiar with offer the same fares.  Also, if you wish to book your flight via a travel agent for the first time and are unsure of who to book with, you should also ask friends for travel agents they have dealt with previously.  Finally, it never hurts for you to enquire with the carrier directly if they authorise travel agents to offer ridiculously low fares when in fact these same fares are not offered when booking with the carrier directly. 
• Check if your reservation is registered.  If you decided to reserve first then pay later, you can access your booking on most carriers by logging on to their website, or the booking system used by your travel agent.  Input the booking reference code supplied by the travel agent. It is wise to ensure that you ask for this before hanging-up the telephone or leaving the travel agent's office.  Check your email as well.  If you access the carrier's website, you may see a message that you are not yet ticketed. This is normal as the ticket will not be processed until payment has been settled. 

Whenever possible, once you are ready to pay, ask to see the e-ticket itinerary receipt first before handing payment. Unlike a basic itinerary, it should have details printed about the fare paid, fare conditions, baggage allowance, and your rights under the various international laws in case something happens to your flight. 

Booking your flight through a travel agent generally has advantages but there are important things to consider before choosing to do it this way. It is not for everyone and you should be aware of certain caveats.

-HybridAce101 

GOT A TIP TO SHARE?

We want to hear from you! Tell us which method you prefer to use when booking a flight and why. If you have any of your own tips to recommend, feel free to share them with us in the comments section!