Here are 6 reasons why it is foolish to book directly with an airline
| Here are 6 reasons why it is foolish to book directly with an airline – I continue to be amazed that people book directly with an airline. This is my 35th year in the travel industry and I just don’t understand why people will accept poor service, allow the airlines to waste your time, and in many cases pay more for travel. Below are 6 reasons you should always use a professional travel advisor instead of calling the airlines. 1. Can you imagine being on hold for 12 hours with an airline? – The Wallstreet Journal recently pointed out the systemic problem travelers are having to reach an airline reservation agent and even when they get them they are poorly trained and are not able to help them. Last year one poor soul had to wait for 12 hours on hold in order to reach an airline agent. Airlines are now bragging that they have reduced their on-hold times to an average of 30 minutes. Airline reservation departments are short-staffed by thousands of agents. They also lost many of their most experienced and knowledgeable staff due to the pandemic. The result is even after you wait 2 hours on hold and finally get an airline agent to talk to you they are not able to help you as they do not know how to deal with complex problems. Compare that to calling the friendly travel advisors at Executive Travel. You will be on hold for an average of 9 seconds (2 rings). Our travel advisors have an average tenure of 21 years of experience and have dealt with everything from snowstorms to 9/11. They are salty and friendly. 2. Airlines don’t share with you the lowest prices and best flights – When you call an airline they don’t share with you all your options. They only share with you their airlines’ best options which means you will probably overpay and have a bad itinerary. Calling a friendly travel advisor and you get all your options, from Southwest Airlines to American Airlines and all of the 59 airlines in the United States as well as over 5000 airlines in the world. 3. We have your profile – How many times do you get tired of spelling your name and providing a credit card to the airline? Using a Travel Management Company like Executive Travel means we store all your personal information in a super safe encrypted system that allows you to save time and make the reservations process super easy. You pick the flights. We do all the rest. 4. You need someone to coach you when your flight is cancelled – The next time a massive storm cancels your flight, using a friendly travel advisor allows you to skip standing in line at the customer service station at the airport and simply pick up your phone and let our team give you all the options which might include, a) confirming a seat on the next flight, b) finding an alternate airline to make a reservation using your current airline ticket as credit, c) negotiating with the airline for flight credits and hotel vouchers, d) refunding your ticket and making a new booking to get you home faster or e) finding you a warm bed to sleep in when every hotel in the city is sold out. 5. Spending hours searching for the best value and options – Many of our customers just send us an email of their planned trip and we do all the work behind the scenes to find options with the perfect blend of value pricing and the best schedule. Some people want the lowest prices and are willing to accept 2 connecting flights to save $50. Others want to spend a little more and take non-stop flights to save a day of travel. Let us do all the work and provide you with the best of both worlds. 6. We Simplify Travel – You can spend hours researching your travel plans on the internet, wait on hold for 12 hours when the next storm cancels your flight, put up with rookie airline agents that can’t help you, be stuck flying on a bad schedule and pay higher prices offered by individual airlines or call, email, go online, OR even text your friendly travel advisor at Executive Travel and let us help you Simplify Travel. Achieve the Greatest Value; Join our Escorted Tours – Check out our inspiring and exciting menu of escorted tours by CLICKING HERE. From the Passion Play in Germany combined with a fascinating journey through Salzburg, Vienna, and the fairy tale city of Prague, to joining our friends at the Nebraska National Guard Historical Society on a WWII commemorative journey through France, Luxembourg, and Belgium, or travel to the Holy Land and Jordan. Or join our top-rated tours hosted by Women of the Midwest to visit Italy, Greece, Scotland, Portugal, and Iceland, just to mention a few. Or how about the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, NYC, the Grand Canyon, New England, or Hawaii; the choices are endless, and so is the caring of our tour directors. Contact our group department today at (402) 435 8888 / GroupDepartment@executivetravel.com, do not hesitate, do not postpone, travel while you can. |
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