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Choosing The
Right Travel Agent
by Chris Dikmen
 Regular
visitors to CruiseReport.com already know that I am a big
believer in the value of using a travel agent to book a
cruise vacation. Some find it peculiar that an "Internet
Guy" like me would not be in favor of going online and
booking a cruise on the Internet. After all, the Internet is
supposed to make our lives easier, isn't it? And, you always
get a better price when you book it yourself, right?
Well...not necessarily. The reality is that the new culture
of online shopping is driven more by corporate insatiable
hunger to reduce costs, and not as a result of consumer
demand.
"That's just crazy talk", you say. Allow me to illustrate.
Today, virtually all airlines require that you book online
(or by calling the airline's toll free number). Back 'in the
day', you would call your travel agent, tell him or her when
and where you wanted to go and he or she would use their
computer to research and find the best deal. The
airline paid the travel agent a commission for handling the
transaction, you got a better deal, and everyone was happy.
That was, until airlines found out how well travel agents
were at getting you a good deal. In an effort to better
serve their customers, travel agents came up with all kind
of "tricks" to save their customers hundreds or thousands of
dollars on expensive airline tickets. Needless to say,
airlines were not too keen on paying a commission to someone
who was ultimately going to prevent them from gouging you on
an expensive airline ticket.
The airlines, in their infinite wisdom, decided a few years
ago that they could eliminate the commission they were
paying to travel agents and at the same time, force
customers into buying the higher priced tickets (since there
would be no seasoned professional to do the research for
them). Surely, this strategy would save the airlines and
return them to profitability. Well, you know how that turned
out.
- The travel agents lost their commissions and
thousands went out of business as a result.
- The traveling public no longer had an advocate to
assist them in getting the best airline deal.
- You are now required to do your own research online,
or, sit on hold with the airline's toll-free number.
- The airlines continue to lose money at a dizzying
pace.
When the cruise industry was just getting started in the
70's (after the hit TV show The Love Boat), it turned to
travel agents to sell the cruise product to consumers. Up
until that time, travel agents were primarily in the
business of selling airline tickets to business travelers.
With an airline ticket, there was not a lot of "selling"
involved. Basically, the agent was an "order taker" and
researcher. Over the past 30 years, the industry has changed
dramatically. As the airlines were gradually (or not so
gradually) phasing out commissions, the cruise industry
began to explode. Intelligent travel agents saw the writing
on the wall, so to speak, and quickly figured out that they
could make more money selling a $2,000 cruise vacation at
10% to 15% commission than selling a $300 airline ticket at
3%.
Today, the cruise industry has grown to the point that it
can easily sustain thousands of travel agents who sell
nothing but cruises. That being said, here are some of the
reasons that I believe using a travel agent is a smart
choice when booking a cruise:
- It does not cost you anything to use a travel agent
because they are paid a commission by the cruise line.
- You will probably save money because a good travel
agent has connections and knows how to get the best
deals. Remember, when cruise lines have special offers
or deals, they inform the travel agents first. After
all, that is their field sales force. Without a good
travel agent, you may never see these deals.
- You have an advocate that can intervene on your
behalf if there is a problem.
- You have someone to call if there is a problem. Try
calling a reservation agent at a cruise line for help if
you book directly with the cruise line. Good luck!
Perhaps the most important decision you can
make in booking a cruise is the selection of a qualified
professional cruise consultant. Technically speaking, any
travel agent can book a cruise for you. However, many travel
agents are not cruise consultants.
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