What are the pros and cons of using a travel agency v. internet?

Greetings Dk716:

On of the main pros of using Internet travel services is that doing so
usually results in cheaper travel costs.  The Internet is more vast
and has more immediate competition than a local travel agency so the
sites scramble for customers by offering heavily discounted travel. 
However, when using an Internet travel agency, most people would agree
that customer service is sorely lacking.

I don't think the customer service with Internet agencies is bad, mind
you, it's just that they receive countless more contacts regarding
their travel offers and they simply don't have a "friendly face at the
desk" that you can pop in to see in person - they might be located
across the country from you.  Their personnel is invisible and
out-of-touch except for email or an occasional phone conversation. 
So, the biggest problem I see with Internet agencies is that their
personnel is not adequately assessible to customers, especially when a
customer has a complaint.

In "Solutions to the Travel Agency Problem - Part 4 of an ongoing
series about Travel Agents" at
http://www.thetravelinsider.info/2002/0419.htm, it is stated "The
public will only use travel agents when the agents know more about the
things they sell than the public can conveniently find out for
themselves (eg on the internet or direct from suppliers).  The public
is now better informed than ever before.  Travel agents need to
likewise also be better informed than previously."

The article also takes note that "Most countries require travel agents
to undertake formal training, regular continuing education, and
possibly licensing before they are allowed to sell travel products -
similar to that required for realtors.  In the US, anyone can call
themselves a travel agent, usually with no need for any formal
training or qualifications at all."

The article goes on to cover solutions and new approaches for
continued success of small travel agencies and suggests how can an
agent sell travel to a destination if she or he has never visited
there?


In the article "Travel Agents Haven't Proven They Can Beat The
Internet Threat" at http://www.e-vacations.com/static/informationweek_travelagentshaventproven.html,
states "whether online or offline, travelers have become increasingly
demanding and are equipped with more Internet information and more
ways to buy."  People with Internet access can more easily comparison
shop, a feature that many local travel agencies do not offer.  The
local agencies work on commission from the travel sold, same as the
Internet companies, but they have little weight to throw around in
getting the least expensive deal for the customer.  They have less
people working for them and a higher overhead.

The article goes on to state "...the biggest agencies are starting to
fight back. They are offering tiered pricing, where companies pay one
price for tickets that involve human intervention and another, often
as much as 30% cheaper, for electronic tickets booked online" and "As
the Internet gives people access to resources previously limited to
travel professionals, including some computer-reservation systems for
airlines, hotels, and car-rental companies, travel agents must
concentrate on services that require special expertise, says Joseph
Buhler, executive VP of EuroVacations.com. An agent who specializes in
cruises or adventure travel can help would-be travelers weed out
information from a Web search that might be redundant, erroneous, or
outdated."


In an article titled "Airfare Wars - Internet vs Travel Agencies," at
http://www.thetravelinsider.info/2002/0614.htm the text reads in part
"'A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client' is a common
saying.  But what about people that book their own travel through the
internet - surely that is a sensible thing, due to websites designed
to make it simple for people to make informed choices? ---  Not so! 
Not only is the concept of 'the lowest fare' an unprovable myth, but
the process to track down such a fare would take almost as much time
as the checkin delays once you get to the airport!"

Clearly, this article is in support of smaller agencies and local
agencies do save a customer time by arranging travel for them.  As one
who has booked travel over the Internet, I found it time-consuming
looking for that magic cheap fare.  I probably searched about four
hours total and, while a local agency might have been $10 to $50
higher than what I found, I could have probably saved a great deal of
time by contacting them first.  The article also offers 14 ways to
save on an airline fare and states "Finding the lowest fare is an
impossible quest that can soak up hours and hours of research and
frustration on your part.  The time cost to you in finding a fare that
may or may not be lower almost certainly exceeds the savings that may
eventuate.  But if you're insistent on finding the lowest fare,
yourself, then follow the fourteen steps above and you'll be sure to
get close to the best fare possible!"

So, the pros for booking travel with an Internet agency would mean
lower travel costs and the ability to comparison shop - the pros for a
local agency would be access to personal customer attention during
business hours, the agency "does the time" for the customer and there
is direct accountability to the customer should travel plans not be
what the agency promised.  Also, the local agents will hsare with a
customer little details about a location that may make the trip more
memorable if that agent has been there.  The personal touch does go a
long way in customer satisfaction as well as securing repeat business.


Should you need clarification of any of the information or links I
have provided, please reqest it and I will be happy to respond.


SEARCH STRATEGY:

internet travel agency problems
pros and cons of Internet travel agent
pros and cons of local travel agent
internet travel agency vs. local travel agency

---

Clarification of Answer by journalist-ga on 18 Mar 2003 11:24 PST

ADDENDUM:  I neglected to include this information I located for you. 
My apologies.

"There are many pros and cons of using Travel on the Internet. Some
pros include;

 you can easily find out about current flights between major cities
within the US and various other countries
 able to type in amount you want to pay for trip and get quick results
 able to choose what type of car you prefer and get prices 
 able to 'shop around' for best hotel prices and location 

Cons include:

 the data you are given when you're looking up information about
flights is real time data
 when dealing with flights, accuracy and correct delivery time not
guaranteed due to this being new
 companies ask for specific data including screen names and passwords"

This from http://www.cs.siena.edu/~maegan/classImages/travel.htm

Also, please see http://www.cfo.com/article/1,5309,4718%7C%7CS%7C0%7C103,00.html
titled "The Internet may not replace traditional travel agencies, but
it might force them to offer new services to corporate clients" that
discusses Web pros and cons.

And, there is a 20-page essay available for purchase at
http://essaypage.com/categories/245-004.html titled "Online Travel
Agencies vs. Traditional" and it is described as "What type of impact
has the technology of the Internet had on the travel industry? This
paper will examine this question and more, focusing on two major
German travel agencies, the market leaders Expedia.de and TUI.
Bibliography lists 11 sources. Filename: JGAgrtvl.rtf"  I am not
certain of the cost but you may request a one-page sheet of it for
free at the above URL.

Keep in mind that if you buy a ticket from a travel agent or an
independent web site, and you need any help, you must go back to who
you bought it from - not the airline. If you make your purchase
directly from the airline or their website, you have a lot more
flexibility with any changes or problems.

I do most of my travel booking over the internet, however I do not use
an Internet agency, as the researcher above refers to. To me the main
advantage of the internet is in direct access. When booking air
travel, I usually look at the websites of two or three main airlines,
including the lowcost ones, to get their fares. When booking hotels,
the internet beats the travel agent hands down, as it is possible to
look at their websites, and in most cases, see pictures of the rooms,
leisure services, maps on how to get there, train or airport access
etc. This is not normally a service available from a traditional
travel agency, with the possible exception of their holiday packages.
I agree with journalist-ga that the disadvantage of the internet is
that it takes more time. A travel agency will usually have a lot more
packages available, whereas the internet usually requires booking
flights, hotels, car hire etc. seperately. In the end, it boils down
to a personal choice of cost over time.

An Internet company is unlikely to beat an experienced travel agent,
especially when international travel is involved. An agent with good
contacts on the wholesale market will be able to get the best deals.
Another good place to find deals is with ticket consolidators or
"bucket shops."

Hi, Pros and Cons of the Travel Agent or Internet

1. It takes a LOT of time to find really good airfares on the internet
so it's a trade-off of time versus money. It depends on how much your
time is worth, and how much you enjoy surfing and checking things out.
But once you know your terrain, say you always fly out of Chicago, are
familiar with most of the airlines flying out of O'Hare and Midway,
and know the key faresearch engines, or the ones that work for you,
then it's fast.

2.  For "unusual" destinations, off the standard routes (Chicago - LA
or whatever), there is again another "start-up cost" in terms of the
time required to become familiar with which new set of search engines
to use. There is more competition between the hubs in the USA than
there is, say, from anywhere to Alaska so the big-city fares tend to
be cheaper. Generally, I find the really well-known faresearch engines
which work well in the USA are very expensive for fares outside of the
continent.

3. By surfing the internet, you can find a really good agency like STA
Travel (for students and teachers), good for flying to Europe; and
low-cost airlines like Air India and China Southern .... and last time
I looked, you buy Air India tickets through an agent and China
Southern through an 800 number.

4. Some of the faresearch engines do not have good customer service,
or they're so automated that it's hard to find things out, or they
offer "deals" that don't exist. Some quote fares including taxes
upfront, and some don't; and some put a $20 charge onto the ticket *at
the very end,* i.e. when you've gone through the whole process of
selecting flights and you're at the final screen for paying for a
ticket.

5.  For the internet to work for you in travel terms, you need to
become a kind of "mini travel agent" for yourself (and friends), and
it takes a lot more time than people may realise! For researching
destinations, for example, I recommend a guidebook!

Best wishes.