The entire travel industry has staffing issues — even travel agent shortages as you plan your travels.
As travel returns, it’s been a rough staffing year for the travel industry. Are we approaching a travel agent (or advisor) shortage? We all read stories about staff, pilot, and crew shortages for airlines. This means flights get canceled or delayed because staff or backup staff aren’t available. Some hotel managers have told me privately they won’t sell all their rooms because they don’t have the staff to service them. Clients report long lines at car rental counters because there aren’t enough rental agents available.
A travel agent shortage means more problems planning an itinerary before one has to deal with other travel staff shortages. Plus, as airlines are trying to dodge responsibilities for flight disruptions, travel agents are bearing the brunt of the airlines’ non-service mindset.
And just this weekend, I had a United flight delayed an hour after boarding when the airline admitted they didn’t have enough baggage handlers to put the bags on the plane. When issues arise because of airline staff shortages, many times they become passenger and travel agent/advisor problems.
If the travel industry has staffing issues, then travel agency shortages are following as revenge travel picks up.
These stories are becoming more common. But tangentially, and in part caused by these other problems, travelers may also be in a travel agent/advisor shortage.
I’m aware some travelers don’t think travel agents exist. But we do. Exact numbers can be hard to figure, as some are not full-time, but in 2019 there were over 65,000 travel agents in the US, with estimates of up to 100,000, counting part-timers. In 2020, that number fell by over 10,000.
The travel industry has skewed older for a while, and many just retired, though before the pandemic it appeared like more young people were getting into the business, often using social media and other technological tools to grow their businesses. While travel didn’t completely stop with COVID, it came pretty close. Personally, during the pandemic I had as many bookings in a week or two as I’d usually get in a day. And, I have to believe a number of travel agents/advisors just starting out found other things to do. After more than a year, or really two now, they may well be settled in those other industries and new jobs.
The rapid growth in travel and complexity of bookings have slammed travel agents/advisors
As travel picks up, I, along with other agents I know, are slammed with business. It is not just old clients, but people who haven’t used an agent in years, or ever. One long-time client called me on behalf of her daughter, who had booked flights with Delta, discovered a five-hour delay and what the airline said was going to be a six-hour hold time. She wanted me to help (and offered to pay) but our special travel agency desk won’t help with direct bookings.
It’s not just that people are traveling again, it’s that nothing is uncomplicated. I’m writing this on a Sunday. On most weekends lately, I’m trying to work through a number of airline schedule changes, as carriers move planes for various reasons. Their game is to maximize revenue according to demand. Some trips booked for summer this winter have changed as many as five or six times. Flight changes are sometimes only 10-20 minutes. Other issues come into play, ranging from seat problems on different planes to schedule changes that just don’t work anymore.
Traveling costs more than ever. Travel agents are harder to find than ever.
Prices in many cases have gone through the roof. I had to tell a client trying to duplicate a Hawaii family trip from 2018 that prices had more than doubled for the same resort. Another who canceled a fall 2022 Hawaii trip asked me to rebook, and the rates were 75 percent higher. Even those who haven’t been price-sensitive in the past are often shocked. One Four Seasons Hotel I booked last year has more than doubled its prices.
Like most friends still in the industry, I’ve got a long list of such stories. One colleague told a group of us she decided to sharply raise fees in hopes of having a saner amount of business. She is still overwhelmed because clients almost all agreed to pay more (though she is at least making more profit). Others I know are just turning down new business or most new business. And, everyone’s trying to hire.
When I’ve mentioned the travel agent shortage to friends and clients the response is often, “Well, this is a great problem to have.” Clearly, there are more important issues in the world. But if you’re a travel agency looking for additional travel agent help, you may have to look harder than you think. And, if you are a traveler searching for the services of a travel agent/advisor, you will find your efforts more difficult.
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Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
