Have you ever spent an hour or more on the Internet booking flights, working out dates and times, only to get to the last page and the site goes down?  I am sure everyone can relate to this in one way or another and the frustration it causes when you finally log back in and the seats have gone.

This is what we contend with every day, but the difference is we are in the airlines system and can book the last seat availability as well as waitlist and then call our airline representative to push you up the waitlist and ensure your seat and meal request are in your booking.

This is what is called dealing with a professional Travel Company and someone that can make your life easier and your travels smooth.

In this “GEC” don’t think of it as a Global Economic Crisis, but a time to find a Good Efficient Consultant – Travel Consultant that is. This will save you not only time and money  - as time is money.

This will work for both your corporate travel as well as your holiday travel and a lot of the time you will be able to use the same Consultant or at least the same Travel Company.  Here are a few tips in what to look for when looking for your “GEC” and ensuring that you don’t have anymore frustrations when booking travel.

1)    Check that they are fully licensed and part of the TCF (Travellers Compensation Fund) – This is the body that if a supplier or carrier shuts their doors you will be covered – you will find that a lot of the Internet sites are not part of this Fund and therefore if you book online, you will loose your money if they shut their doors before you have taken your holiday

2)    Ask How long have they been in business, or ensure that the owner of the business has experience in the travel industry. If they are a relatively new business or the owner is also new to the travel industry, they will not have the relationships with the airlines and suppliers and may also not fully understand your needs

3)    Travel companies now rely mainly on service fees as their income, as the majority of the airlines do not pay commissions, or at least have reduced them substantially. If you are dealing with a professional agent they will be charging fees to ensure they are running a profitable business. The fees can range from an itinerary planning fee which will take the pain away from you of researching, using your precious time to ensure you are getting the best deal to a frequent flyer fee.  Paying someone to book your frequent flyer seats is the best stress management you could do for yourself.

4)    When comparing prices, ensure you are comparing “apples for apples” – the fee is not the compariable component, the fee is based on the service you are receiving, the higher the fee, the more service and the more profitable the company should be. This means staff being paid well, therefore they have the experience and are happy in their jobs, all of which inpacts on your total experience . The airfare is the comparison point and ensure that you get a total cost including all taxes and fees.

5)    Check what buying group your Travel Company is a part of, it could be Travelscene American Express, Harvey World Travel or Jetset Travelworld.  All of these groups will allow your agent to have better buying power than an Independent agent, therefore better deals for you.

6)    Check their 24/7 policy, do they have one? Is it a call Centre of one of their Consultants with a laptop and a phone.  Depending on how large your business is will depend on what type of 24/7 needs you require.  The ideal is if you call out of hours with an issue you want someone to be able to fix it immediately, not go to a voicemail, or someone has to call you back as they are at the supermarket doing their Saturday shopping.

7)    Does your GEC know that you like Seat 1A or that you only want high floors when staying at hotels?  If the answer is No and you have booked with them before they may not be that GEC that you are looking for.  If you have made a booking with your travel company and you return they should have all your details on file and ready to make the booking without asking you any questions that you have already answered previously

8)    Ask them about their Awards and recognition, some Travel companies have been invited to join prestigious groups, such as Virtuoso, and being part of Qantas Platinum Club for Travel Agents.  Airlines recognise Travel Companies by their performance and in turn will give them better airfares, higher status of clearing of waitlists, preferred seating and at times upgrades.

9)    If you are looking for a Corporate Travel Company to manage your Corporate Travel, ensure they have an Online Booking Engine. This will decrease your fees as it becomes a “no touch” option  -  you are doing the bookings but still through a Travel Company which will still give you all the services of that Company.

10) If your GEC is part of buying groups and recognised by their peers, airlines and suppliers you will be receiving more value adds from that agent. They will have negotiated better deals and will be able to offer value adds that you would not be able to get just anywhere.

AFTA – the Australian Federation of Travel Agents came out with a tag line a few years ago and this tag line is what you should be thinking of when you are looking for your GEC

“Without an Agent you are on your Own”

Stop being frustrated by the Internet and thinking that this is the cheapest way to travel.

Start looking for your GEC now -  stop the stress from the moment you decide to book a trip to the moment you return home and hear from your friendly GEC to see how your trip went.

The less stress your GEC can help you with in this “GEC” the better.