Travel Reservations

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Guide to Travel Reservations

Travel reservations: to book or not to book online, that is the question
By Nikki Davis

Air travel reservations are simple to make online yourself, but are you losing out on any potential advantages of booking through an agency? When making a business decision for your company in regards to airline reservations and ticketing, it can be hard to imagine why everyone just doesn’t book travel reservations online.

Reservation services through a travel agency can save you time and energy, which in turn can save you money, if you know how to adequately take advantage of their reservation systems.

To determine if working with a corporate travel agency is right for your air travel reservations:

1. Ask yourself if time is an issue for you. Are there not enough hours in the day to get your work done, let alone hassle with finding, picking out and paying for flights?

2. Determine if the cost of your flight is directly billed back to your client, or do all of the flight costs fall to you? If flights costs are a carry through then the cost of your tickets isn’t quite as big of a factor then if you pay for them yourself.

3. Figure out how much flexibility you want with your travel reservations.

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider the cost factor when making air travel reservations When making travel reservations online for your business, you save the agency service fee of $20 to $60 per ticket. For 1 ticket, it may not be a big deal, but that dollar amount can add up if you book multiple flights a year for your business travel or you act as the travel coordinator for your company. If this is an issue, you should consider booking your own flights online.

I recommend:  Make online reservations directly through any of the main carriers like Delta, United, American or Southwest.

Save time and energy using agency reservation services The 2 main advantages of using a corporate travel are that they can save you both time and energy as well as offer you flexibility when changes arise. Corporate reservations and ticketing agents can look up and cost-compare flights for you, and they can help you easily make changes in a pinch even when you away from your computer. Note, though, that they can add a service fee anytime you change a ticket.

I recommend:  Check out the following national corporate travel companies for your business travel reservations: American Express, The Travel Authority, Willett Travel, or Segale Corporate Travel Agency.

Track your travel reservations When using most corporate travel agencies for your airline travel reservations, they can provide you a detailed status report of what airlines you are using most frequently though their reservation systems, and thus where you should be targeting your frequent flier usage and/or concentrating on as your preferred carrier. They can also help you secure other travel vouchers and perks through your continued business through their company.

I recommend:  Corporate Travel Management is service-oriented and value-based. They can offer you savings on tracking, along with many other major services. CGC Travel specializes in small to mid-sized companies, as well as the international traveler.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Ask a travel agency to lower its service fee per ticket if you're making high volumes of reservations through 1 company.