From greater NDC developments to more support from wholesalers in regional areas, a number of agents expressed their frustrations with suppliers and airlines during a robust panel discussion at ETG’s XChange conference in Adelaide on the weekend.
Jennifer Dam from Five Star World Travel in Sydney shared how much she appreciates responsive suppliers, particularly during times of disruption.
However, she described the serviceability of the NDC as “a pain in the ass”, where “no-one wants to take responsibility and everybody passes the buck to each other”.
“We use a lot of NDC and our penetration rate is at 90%, but when we can’t do something, we get told from our partners to call someone else, and we have to wait four hours to figure something out, call the client again and then call back again for another four hours,” said Dam.
“It’s just a complete waste of our time.”
Meanwhile, Chris Jenkins from Independent Travel Advisors in Albury pleaded with suppliers to remember to visit agents in regional areas, where there are plenty of “cashed-up semi-retirees” planning to spend their money on holidays.
“When I moved out of Melbourne two years ago, it was like my left arm cut off, because, suppliers and their representatives just do not go to regional areas,” she said, adding that agents are “starving” for more support from brands.
“There’s a lot of product out there – if we’re not across it, and we haven’t got contact with suppliers, we lose it because we can’t get to these shows,” Jenkins explained, adding that she tries to go to Melbourne to see brands but often, as soon as they find out that she is in Albury “forget it, I’m in Mexico”.
Jenkins would also like to see suppliers give agents “a little bit more leeway” when it comes to customers, who often pay for their trips three or four months in advance – only to have to wait two or three weeks before their trip to receive documentation.
“The stress that it puts on us and the client is immense – it’s really hard,” she said.
Dam’s and Chris’ observations were met with plenty of applause from the audience made up of other agents.
