Travel agents still exist, but they may not want your business

A question I’ve now heard for decades: Are travel agents still in business?

It started when airlines started cutting commissions in 1995. And through the rise of the internet, online travel agencies, airline apps, AI, the alternatives to humans keep growing

And nonetheless, we persisted. And many travel agents/travel advisors are turning down business.

It isn’t a personality match. (In those cases, many agents may contact a coworker.) As with all businesses, some customers aren’t worth the trouble and stress.

A coworker had a request last Christmas week that wanted him to hold a couple last minute options to deluxe resorts for “a few days” so he could think about it, despite such options all being nonrefundable between 21-60 days from arrival. Another very occasional client in Europe, after first wrongly accusing me of messing up her ticket, wanted me to help her fix a ticket she had booked online for her daughter to save our agency booking fee — because her phone wasn’t working well in France. Ask any travel advisor; we all have stories

Then there are the nice people, often friends, when it’s just realistically impossible to make any money.

Without going into details, and it varies, travel agencies generally make money from commissions.

They make their living on hotels, tours, cruises, and, in some cases, business and premium economy air tickets. In some cases, agents also charge high fees for travel planning when it’s especially complicated and time-consuming planning.

And sometimes, yes, we do inexpensive trips and may waive fees for travelers on a budget when the travel is not particularly profitable but easy — a quick hotel or two or a car rental, or a short weekend cruise/resort package, for example.

On the other hand, sometimes travelers want very inexpensive travel that is also complicated and time-consuming.

A honeymoon in Greece is planned daily with ferries and tiny “bed and breakfast” hotels. There’s zero commission involved. In many such cases, travelers don’t have the money to pay much of a fee, but their trip can take longer than a luxury trip. And we can’t stay in business doing what is effectively pro bono work.

Also, as any travel advisor and many travelers reading this will know, the cheapest hotels don’t pay hefty commissions. Plus, these tend to have the most issues for potential complaints. Finding and recommending a first-class or deluxe hotel is much easier than a one or two-star.

Other times, a travel advisor might say no to including an airbnb. As I tell clients, if I put you in a hotel and you have a room you don’t like, I can probably get you moved. There’s very little recourse with a private rental. (There are some good villa/home rental companies, but the prices are usually not as low.)

Frequent flier tickets.

Some agents do them for hefty fees. Many of us find them way too stressful at any price since agents don’t control the bookings.

Sometimes, it’s a clash in expectations. A travel agent fee does entitle you to service. How much service is a more challenging question? If you pay $20-$40 for a ticket, the expectations should be lower than with hundreds of dollars. But we’ve all had travelers indicate they think a travel booking entitles them to all-night and weekend access. One recently was upset by the idea of being offered an after-hours number because she wanted MY personal help on a weekend night.

With good clients, many of us will do very unprofitable things.

For good travelers, we will, on occasion, do nights, and weekend work. But that’s a loyalty thing, not a general business model.

The short version is that good travel agents are in demand these days. We generally love what we do (most days), but it’s still a career, not a hobby. And so, yes, we’re still in business, but, no, we don’t want all the business.

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