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5 Reasons Why to Use a Travel Agent Post-Pandemic

By Phylicia Sierer on June 10, 2021 11:47 AM

Traveling post-pandemic is new for everyone. But understanding the ever-changing rules and regulations while dealing with the unknowns of traveling for the first time can make any business – or vacation – traveler a little weary. Booking travel through your TMC or travel agent has never been more important, and here are just five reasons why.

  1. We Cut Out Hold Times. U.S. air carriers are seeing record volumes as restrictions lift, and travelers have been experiencing over two-, three- and four-hour wait times to reach a reservation agent at some of the nation's largest airlines. Did you know that even at our busiest, your travelers can reach a World Travel agent within minutes? Booking through your TMC or travel agent gets you access to priority support. Don’t be stuck at the airport counter with 100 other frustrated travelers. Simply call or text your travel agent and they will help you with any changes or requests you may have.

  2. We Help You Understand the New Requirements. Vaccine passports, COVID tests, mask mandates... The new travel landscape can be confusing for even the savviest traveler. Your agents and TMC spend hours each day combing through any new or changed requirements. At World Travel, we have even taken the time to create a comprehensive webpage, WorldAlert360, for travelers to reference for all their post-COVID travel questions.

  3. We Help with Duty of Care. If the past year has taught us anything, it is that knowing where your travelers are at all times is critical. While we sincerely hope the world never shuts down again, monitoring your travelers’ location isn’t just important, it’s imperative. Booking all travel (air, car, hotel) through your travel agent ensures you have access to all the important travel data. In addition to proprietary technology solutions like WorldWatch, WorldAlert360 and WorldHub systems, our team also offers 24/7/365 support through our after-hours staff and award-winning online help desk. Agents use systems such as FlightGlobal to anticipate itinerary disruptions and delays before they affect the travelers’ journey and make changes when necessary.

  4. We Help with Unused Tickets. Unused tickets... you probably came out of the pandemic with quite a few of those, huh? When the pandemic began, airlines were dealing with an estimated global refund liability of $35 billion, according to Business Travel News.  Ensuring our clients were able to get access to those unused tickets funds was crucial for us. In addition to processing our clients' unused tickets promptly to ensure that applicable waivers and valid tickets were used before expiry, we went to work enhancing our unused tickets reporting systems to reflect increased volume and feature additional metrics. We moved quickly to develop technology enhancements that provide accessible unused ticket information to travel managers and consultant teams.
  5. We Can Save You Money.  Gone are the days of $58 tickets to Florida. Airports and airplanes are full once again, and since many airlines still haven’t gone back to their pre-COVID flight schedule, rates are going up. Booking with your travel agent, or even your online booking tool, gives you access to many options to ensure you and your travelers are getting the best value for their trip.

So, leave the travel arrangements to us because it’s what we do best. That way, you’re free to focus on a safe and successful return to travel.

Phylicia Sierer

Written by Phylicia Sierer