Agencies find niche with business travelers

Travelers can find plenty of opportunities on the Internet for low air fares and lodging expenses, but when it comes to traveling for work, businesses have found that a real live travel agent can’t be beat.
The reason for choosing a travel agency over online travel companies is simple, said Jerry Price, Suzi Davis Travel office manager: It’s better for a business’s bottom line. “When people go online, they are essentially becoming their own agent,” said Price, who uses as an example a fictitious businessman named Joe. Joe isn’t going to worry much about what it costs his employer when he books his flight. He’s probably going to book a more expensive flight because he doesn’t want to waste his time searching for price comparisons. But travel agents search everywhere possible for the lowest fare because that’s what they do every day. So in this instance, Joe’s business pays more for his trip by relying on Joe instead of a travel agent.
Price said travel agents typically add a small flat fee for booking flights. His agency charges around $25. When you consider that the average time spent booking a flight online is between one and two hours, the employee’s time is more expensive to the company than a fee from a travel agency.
Yet another advantage to using an agency, Price said, is that most online booking websites don’t include all the flights available. Some of the most popular websites don’t list Southwest Airlines flights.
“There’s nothing that they can find online that we can’t beat or match,” Price said. With business clients, a travel agent is looking out for the company’s best interest, said Price. “The reason companies have always stuck with travel agents is because they want some level of control on the implementation of their travel policy. They don’t want to all of a sudden find themselves with $50,000 worth of travel expenses and hotels. Once they give over their travel arrangements to employees, they give over control.”
Sara Fox, project planner for the aeration works department at EDI, agrees with Price’s assessment. She handles the international travel arrangements for its inspections and maintenance and said using a travel agent saves the company major fees that are often tucked inside online booking contracts. “Say your plans changed, and you had to cancel and rebook a flight,” she said. “You are charged fees. A travel agent is knowledgeable in the rules because they are aware of the fine print. It protects your pocket.”