Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks
Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks take and confirm reservations for transportation or lodging, or sell transportation tickets. They may check baggage and direct passengers to designated concourse, pier, or track; deliver tickets and contact individuals and groups to inform them of package tours; or provide tourists with travel or transportation information.
Reservation and ticketing agents' job descriptions include travellers’ planning processes by handling complex travel planning for them. Reservationists set itineraries, manage schedules, and organise events. They help vacationers make the most of their trips by assisting them with critical travel arrangements for anything from the flight and hotel to transportation tickets, car rentals, shows and tours.
A reservationist excels at helping people complete their travel plans, making sure everything about a vacation is a go. Thus, reservation and ticketing agent salaries depend on the type of job and customer satisfaction.
Airline agent works for airlines. They work with computer reservation systems, quote fares and offer suggestions to customers, answer phone calls, reply to customer emails, deal with a lot of customers at once and also lift baggage, if they are working at an airport.
A travel clerk's education requirements are a high school diploma is required, though completing some college coursework is helpful. Ticketing work requires being calm and friendly, the ability to multitask, an interest in travel and a problem-solving attitude. Airline agents need to be able to use computers, word processing and spreadsheets, be good at communications, and be able to understand people's psychology.
To be successful, a reservationist must have a solid background in hospitality and customer service.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- Diploma Travel and Tourism
- NSQF Level 4 Travel and Tour Assistant
Tasks
- Plan routes, itineraries, and accommodation details, and compute fares and fees, using schedules, rate books, and computers.
- Make and confirm reservations for transportation and accommodations, using telephones, faxes, mail, and computers.
- Prepare customer invoices and accept payment.
- Answer inquiries regarding information, such as schedules, accommodations, procedures, or policies.
- Assemble and issue required documentation, such as tickets, travel insurance policies, or itineraries.
- Determine whether space is available on travel dates requested by customers, assigning requested spaces when available.
- Inform clients of essential travel information, such as travel times, transportation connections, or medical and visa requirements.
- Maintain computerized inventories of available passenger space and provide information on space reserved or available.
- Confer with customers to determine their service requirements and travel preferences.
- Examine passenger documentation to determine destinations and to assign boarding passes.
Progression Routes
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