Brian Bobroff

5) Accountability

I had a client who made a booking through one of the main online travel agencies. There was a schedule change on their flight. They were notified of this by a garbled phone message that they did not understand. They did not put it together until after they had missed their flight as it had left hours before due to this change. The agency took absolutely no responsibility for it and they were forced to buy a new ticket last minute (which is often not a good thing). Had they booked through an agent like me, I would have notified them via email and ensured I received a response so that I knew they were aware. I would call if there were no reply to the email. It is required by the Travel Industry Council of Ontario to do so, but it is also logical if you intend to have your clients want to book with you again!

4) Price / Special Discounts

We have access to special fares, promo codes or are just very aware of what is available. Of course, every booking is different so it is hard to make a general statement. However, if you have a good relationship with your agent, it should only take you a few minutes of conversation to find out what they can do for you on any given trip. Our company often has exclusive promotions that we are able to offer that you would not get if you booked elsewhere.

3) Expertise

We get around! It is possible we have been where you are looking to go. When we have not, we usually have a colleague who has and can get their advice. We spend all day long looking at travel and know where to look to get information. You may be able to go to Ikea and put together a bookshelf, but that does not make you a carpenter.

2) Complicated Routing

As soon as you starting heading to more than one destination, it can become a complicated itinerary. The more complicated the more you will need the help of an agent. There are things that we can do within our booking systems in cased like this that you will not find on any website no matter how canny you are. We can also make suggestions on products offered by airlines and their alliances that may help you out (air passes, round the world tickets, rail passes etc). I know that I have saved clients into the thousands of dollars when dealing with tricky routes.

1) The unexpected

Remember that ash cloud last year? Have you ever tried to get in touch with an airline when there is a situation affecting millions of travelers? If you could even get through, it is possible you would be on hold for hours. We have back lines and other methods to handle problems where we can find solutions without you having to spend half your day trying to solve them. We are also obligated to offer you travel insurance that would have protected anybody delayed by the aforementioned ash cloud by reimbursing costs for hotels, food, phone calls or possibly paying for a different route home.

More than anything, this is where we earn our stripes. When you are on holiday, it is very important to have a lifeline if something out of the ordinary happens. We are good people to have in your corner! Using the ash cloud as an example again, I was able to help numerous stranded people that were not my clients who just needed help getting back and could not wait for their airline to rebook them. Schedule changes, weather delays, travel advisories, labour disruptions, disasters or other emergencies are tough enough to deal with. That is where a good travel agent will make you appreciate their assistance. Your holiday should be stress free, and we can help!