Confessions of a Travel Agent - p2
NAMES Before booking flights I try to make sure that I get the exact spelling of the surname. However it’s amazing how often I get phone calls after booking flights, telling me that the passport is in the maiden name. This can be a bigger problem than it appears. With certain airfares, most airlines will not allow you to change a surname once the booking has been made so if the flights are still available you just make a new booking and then cancel the old one. However, if the flights are full, it may be possible to use the passport, only if you carry your original marriage certificate as well (one lady could not find her marriage certificate but her birth certificate and divorce papers were accepted by one airline). Some airlines will not allow you to board if the passport name does not match the name on the ticket. So get it right first time!
Is a woman Mrs, Ms or Miss? There is no right or wrong - just my own judgment. No insignificant issue in this political climate of equal rights and feminism. Some medical practitioners do not wish to use their Dr title and some do. Others are academic doctors. Unlike surnames, titles and initials can be changed at any time before tickets have been issued. To complicate matters the US has recently passed a law which requires all Foreign Carriers travelling to and from the USA to collect from US citizens their full name (first name, middle initial, last name). Passengers refusing to do so will be refused boarding. It may not be too long before this a universal requirement.
EMBARASSING MOMENTS One of my most embarrassing moments was when I thought I was chatting to a guy and in fact it was a girl. These things just happen and haunt you for the rest of your life. Mind you I have had no problems with the difference since!
BEHIND THE SCENES Just look at what goes on behind the scenes when a flight booking is made. Are the departure and arrival times optimum? Have the requests for special meals and seating been requested? Is the arrival airport the correct one? Is there enough time to connect from one flight to the next? What are the cancellation and amendment fees? Have I explained that it is not a Qantas aircraft even though it has a Qantas flight number? Are the Frequent Flyer numbers in the booking? Are passports valid and which visas are required?
The logistics of itinerary planning is probably the most difficult aspect of travel and nothing goes according to plan. There is always a hiccup somewhere which will not make my life too easy. Recently a friend phoned and told me the two trips he wanted and the dates. The first one in Africa wasn’t available so another was chosen. However this didn’t fit in with the dates of the following tour in Asia. And so it went on. A week later it was all worked out but the holiday dates had to be changed to fit.
FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAMMES are a constant source of frustration. Who is in bed with whom and how many free points does one get? Am I doing myself out of business? I’m actually helping people obtain free flights and I don’t even charge for it. I enter the numbers into the booking but sometimes they are not generated through to the airline concerned. At least once a month I chase up someone’s lost points. This can be very frustrating, time consuming and again is free of charge.
