TRAVEL / RESERVATION / TICKET AGENT

Constantly changing air fares and schedules, thousands of available vacation packages and business/pleasure trips, and the vast amount of travel information advertised on the Internet, makes travel planning frustrating and time-consuming.

Travel agents assess their customers needs and make the best possible travel arrangements for them. Many major cruise lines, resorts, and specialty travel groups use travel agents to promote travel packages to the millions of people who travel every year. They may visit hotels, resorts, and restaurants to judge, firsthand, their comfort, cleanliness, and quality of food and service so they can base recommendations on their own travel experiences or those of colleagues or clients. Depending on the size of the travel agency, an agent may specialize by type of travel, such as leisure or business, or destination, such as Europe or Africa. Travel agents promote their services using telemarketing, direct mail, and the Internet. They make presentations to social and special interest groups, arrange advertising displays, and suggest company-sponsored trips to business managers.

Reservation and transportation ticket agents, as well as travel clerks, assist the public in making travel plans, reservations, and purchasing tickets for a variety of transportation services.

Most reservation agents work for large hotel chains or airlines, helping people plan trips and make reservations. They usually work in large reservation centers answering telephone inquiries and offering suggestions on travel arrangements such as routes, time schedules, rates, and types of accommodation. They quote fares and room rates, sell tickets, and use computerized systems to quickly obtain information needed to make, change, or cancel reservations for customers.

Transportation ticket agents are sometimes known as passenger service agents, passenger-booking clerks, reservation clerks, airport service agents, ticket clerks, or ticket sellers. They work in airports, train and bus stations selling tickets, assigning seats to passengers, and checking baggage. In addition, they may answer inquiries and give directions, examine passports and visas, or check in animals.

Gate or station agents work in airport terminals assisting passengers when boarding airplanes. These workers direct passengers to the correct boarding area, check tickets and seat assignments, make boarding announcements, and provide special assistance to young, elderly or disabled passengers when they board or disembark.

Passenger rate clerks generally work for bus companies. They sell tickets for regular bus routes and arrange nonscheduled or chartered trips. They plan travel routes, compute rates, and keep customers informed of appropriate details. They also may arrange travel accommodations.

Most travel clerks are employed by membership organizations such as automobile clubs. These workers, sometimes called member services counselors or travel counselors, plan trips, calculate mileage, and offer travel suggestions for club members. They highlight the best route from the point of origin to the destination, as well as the return. They also may prepare an itinerary indicating points of interest, restaurants, overnight accommodations, and availability of emergency services during the trip. In some cases, they may make rental car, hotel, or restaurant reservations for club members.

Travel agents spend most of their time behind a desk conferring with clients, completing paperwork, contacting airlines and hotels for travel arrangements, and promoting group tours. They may be under a great deal of pressure at times, such as during vacation seasons. Many agents, especially those who are self-employed, frequently work long hours. With advanced computer systems and telecommunication networks, some travel agents are able to work at home. These agents make travel arrangements for their clients, and promote travel offered by the travel agency and organizations they represent. When they travel for personal reasons, agents usually get reduced rates for transportation and accommodations.

Although many reservation and ticket agents work a standard 40-hour week, about 3 out of 10 work part time. This work is well suited to flexible work schedules, and many opportunities for part-time work will continue to be available, particularly as organizations look to cut labor costs by hiring more part-time or temporary workers. Some jobs may require working evenings, late night shifts, weekends, and holidays. In many cases, employees with the least seniority are assigned the least desirable shifts. Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks usually receive free or reduced rate travel on their company's carriers for themselves and their immediate family and, in some companies, for friends.

Reservation and ticket agents who greet customers and visitors usually work in highly visible areas, designed and furnished to make a good impression. Most work stations are clean, well lighted, and relatively quiet, and overall working conditions are usually pleasant. Some agents who do much of their work over the telephone generally work away from the public, often in large centralized reservation or phone centers. Because a number of agents or clerks may share the same work space, it may be crowded and noisy.

Many reservation agents and travel clerks work under stringent time constraints or have quotas on the number of calls answered or reservations made. The current technology enables management to electronically monitor their use of computer systems, monitor or tape record their telephone calls, or limit the time spent on each call. In addition, prolonged exposure to a video display terminal may lead to eye strain.

The work of transportation ticket agents can be stressful when trying to serve the needs of difficult or angry customers. When flights are canceled, reservations mishandled, or guests are dissatisfied, these clerks must act as a buffer between the establishment and its customers. Ticket agents may be on their feet most of the time and may have to lift heavy baggage.

Because many travel, reservation and ticket agents deal directly with the public, good grooming habits and a pleasant personality are imperative, as are good problem-solving and interpersonal skills. Other desirable qualifications include good writing and sales skills. A clear speaking voice and fluency in the English language are essential because these employees frequently use the telephone or public address systems. Coursework useful to persons wanting to enter these occupations include basic math, English, geography, U.S. history, psychology, communications, and public speaking.

Travel agents compile information from various sources and organize their clients' travel itineraries, so they must be well-organized, accurate and meticulous. Good spelling, typing ability, and computer literacy are necessary, particularly because most work involves considerable computer use. Patience and the ability to gain the confidence of clients are also useful qualities. It is increasingly helpful for travel professionals to speak a foreign language fluently. Travel experience is an asset since personal knowledge about a city or foreign country often helps to influence clients' travel plans.

The minimum requirement for those interested in becoming a travel agent is a high school diploma. With technology and computerization having a profound effect on the work of travel agents, formal or specialized training is becoming increasingly important. Many career schools offer 6- to 12-week full-time travel agent programs, as well as evening and weekend programs. Travel courses are also offered in public adult education programs and in community and 4-year colleges. A few colleges offer bachelor's or master's degrees in travel and tourism. Although few college courses relate directly to the travel industry, a college education is sometimes desired by employers to establish a background in areas such as computer science, geography, communication, foreign languages, and world history. Courses in accounting and business management also are important, especially for those who expect to manage or start their own travel agencies.

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) offers a correspondence course that provides a basic understanding of the travel industry. Travel agencies also provide on-the-job training for their employees, a significant part of which consists of computer instruction. Computer skills are required by all employers to operate airline and centralized reservation systems.

Experienced travel agents can take advanced self or group study courses from the Institute of Certified Travel Agents (ICTA), that lead to the designation of Certified Travel Counselor (CTC). The ICTA also offers marketing and sales skills development programs and destination specialist programs, which provide a detailed knowledge of the geographic areas of North America, Western Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Rim.

There are no Federal licensing requirements for travel agents. However, nine States require some form of registration or certification of retail sellers of travel services: California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. More information may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Attorney General or Department of Commerce for each State.

Although a high school diploma is the most common educational requirement, some college education may be preferred for airline reservation and ticket agent jobs. Most airline reservation and ticket agents learn their skills through formal company training programs. They spend some time in a classroom setting, learning company and industry policies, computer systems, and ticketing procedures. They learn to use the airline's computer system to obtain information on schedules, seat availability, and fares; and must learn airport and airline code designations, regulations and safety procedures. After completing classroom instruction, new agents work on the job with supervisors or experienced agents. During this period, monitoring of telephone conversations may serve as a training device to improve the quality of customer service. Agents are expected to provide good service while limiting the time spent on each call without being discourteous to customers.

In contrast, automobile clubs, bus lines, and railroads tend to train their ticket agents or travel clerks on the job, through short in-house classes that can last several days. Agents and clerks continue to receive instruction on new procedures and company policies after their initial training ends.

Some travel agents start as reservation clerks or receptionists in travel agencies. With experience and some formal training, they can take on greater responsibilities and eventually assume travel agent duties. In agencies with many offices, travel agents may advance to office manager or to other managerial positions.

Those who start their own agencies generally have experience in an established agency. They must generally gain formal supplier or corporation approval before they can receive commissions. Suppliers or corporations are organizations of airlines, ship lines, or rail lines. The Airlines Reporting Corporation and the International Airlines Travel Agency Network, for example, are the approving bodies for airlines. To gain approval, an agency must be financially sound and employ at least one experienced manager/travel agent.

Reservation and ticket agents generally advance by promotion to a supervisory position. The more skills, experience and training an employee gains, the better the advancement opportunities. These positions offer good opportunities for qualified workers to get started in the business. In many instances, a college degree may be required for advancement to management ranks.

Experience, sales ability, and the size and location of the agency determine the salary of a travel agent. According to a Louis Harris survey, conducted for Travel Weekly, 1996 median annual earnings of travel agents on straight salary with less than 1 year experience were $16,400; from 1 to 3 years, $20,400; from 3 to 5 years, $22,300; from 5 to 10 years, $26,300; and more than 10 years, $32,600. Salaried agents usually have standard benefits, such as medical insurance coverage and paid vacations, that self-employed agents must provide for themselves. Among agencies, those focusing on corporate sales pay higher salaries and provide more extensive benefits, on average, than those who focus on leisure sales.

Earnings of travel agents who own their agencies depend mainly on commissions from airlines and other carriers, cruise lines, tour operators, and lodging places. Commissions for domestic travel arrangements, cruises, hotels, sightseeing tours, and car rentals are about 7-10 percent of the total sale; and for international travel, about 10 percent. They may also charge clients a service fee for the time and expense involved in planning a trip.

During the first year of business or while awaiting corporation approval, self-employed travel agents generally have low earnings. Their income usually is limited to commissions from hotels, cruises, and tour operators and to nominal fees for making complicated arrangements. Even established agents have lower profits during economic downturns.

In 1996, median weekly earnings of full-timer eservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks were about $421. Earnings vary widely by occupation and experience. Salaries of reservation and ticket agents tend to be significantly higher than for other clerks, to over $710 for the highest paid reservation agents.

In addition to their hourly wage, full-time reservation and ticket agents who work evenings, nights, weekends, or holidays may receive shift differential pay. Some employers offer educational assistance to their employees. Unions representing these workers include the Transportation Communications International Union and the Amalgamated Transit Union.

The travel industry generally is sensitive to economic downturns and international political crises, when travel plans are likely to be deferred. Therefore, the number of job opportunities fluctuates. Employment of reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks is sensitive to cyclical swings in the economy. During recessions, discretionary passenger travel declines and transportation service companies are less likely to hire new workers and even may resort to layoffs. However, spending on travel is expected to increase significantly over the next decade.

Travel agents held about 142,000 jobs in 1996 and are found in every part of the country. More than 9 out of 10 salaried agents worked for travel agencies; some worked for membership organizations. Employment of travel agents is expected to grow faster than the national average for all occupations through the year 2006. Many job openings will arise as new agencies open and existing agencies expand, but most openings will occur as experienced agents transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force. Although most travel agencies now have automated reservation systems, this has not weakened demand for travel agents.

Some developments, however, may reduce job opportunities for travel agents in the future. The Internet allows people to access travel information from their personal computers and make their own travel arrangements. Suppliers of travel services are increasingly able to make their services available through other means, such as electronic ticketing machines and remote ticket printers. Also, airline companies have put a cap on the amount of commissions they will pay to travel agencies. The full effect of these practices, though, has yet to be determined as many consumers prefer to use a professional travel agent to ensure reliability and save time and, in some cases, money.

Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks held about 166,000 jobs in 1996. About 7 of every 10 workers are employed by the airlines. Others work for membership organizations such as automobile clubs, hotels and other lodging places, railroad companies, bus lines, and other companies that provide transportation services. Although agents and clerks are found throughout the country, most work at large metropolitan airports, downtown ticket offices, large reservation centers, and train or bus stations. The remainder work in smaller communities served only by intercity bus or railroad lines.

Employment of reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks is expected to decline slightly through the year 2006. The work of these occupations is being significantly affected by technology. Automated reservations and ticketing, as well as "ticketless" travel, is reducing the need for some of these positions. Most train stations and airports have satellite ticket printer locations or "kiosks," enabling passengers to make reservations and purchase tickets themselves. It is also possible for passengers to check flight times and fares, make reservations, and purchase tickets on the Internet. Nevertheless, all travel-related passenger services can never be fully automated for safety and security reasons; therefore, job openings will become available as workers transfer to other occupations, retire, or leave the labor force altogether.

Applicants for reservation and transportation ticket agent jobs are likely to encounter considerable competition because the supply of qualified applicants exceeds the expected number of job openings. Entry requirements for these jobs are minimal, and many people seeking to get into the airline industry or travel business often start out in these types of positions. These jobs provide excellent travel benefits and many people view airline and travel-related jobs as glamorous.