Partnerships can be a major building block for any business. For travel advisors, forging a productive relationship with airlines can be a key step toward increasing efficiency, profitability and client satisfaction.
“After the last three years of challenges for both travel advisors and airlines, it is crucial for us to work together to be able to assist passengers in the best way possible,” says Heidi Nanigian, an Orange, California-based travel advisor at Heidi’s Holidays, affiliated with Travel Concepts, a Signature Travel agency. “I could not be a successful advisor if I didn’t have a contact at the airline when there are issues such as schedule changes, cancellations and delayed flights. Working together helps both the airlines and travel advisors create solutions for passengers, which is the goal for both of us.”
Dave Hershberger, owner of Prestige Travel, a Travel Leaders Network Associate Agency in Cincinnati, relies on his connections with the airline industry in a variety of ways. “Relationships with airlines are incredibly important to us, at least airlines that we sell a lot of,” he says. “We depend on the relationship to help with issues like rebooking, assigning seats, opening space and frequent flyer questions/issues. Support of our mutual customers is the most important thing.”
The Benefits of Building Relationships with Airlines
Advisors build relationships with airlines for a variety of reasons, according to Nanigian. “The biggest advantage … is having someone in your corner at the airline, just like our clients have when they work with a travel professional,” she says. “The airlines I partner with have given me an exclusive phone line that I call when there is an issue and I never wait more than 15 minutes. I have worked with the same contacts for many years, so they know what my preferences are as far as schedules, codeshares and which flights I will not book for my clients. This strong partnership saves both the airline and the travel advisor a lot of time, so the client is not waiting for a solution.”
Flemming Friisdahl, president and founder of The Travel Agent Next Door in Toronto, sums up the benefits of a strong airline relationship with one word: “Support, support, support,” he says. “If you focus on just one or two airlines, you will be able to receive more support when something goes a little off track. One of the key benefits is a special phone line to help find an airline res [reservation] agent that can help save the day. Airlines have changed a lot in the past 25 years and there is a lot more automation and processes and debit memos, etc. To help overcome speed bumps along the way, you really need great relationships at great airlines to work with.”
An effective relationship also provides educational opportunities, Friisdahl adds. “Education is king, and receiving the support of the [airline] sales team makes it all happen,” he says. “We recently sent a group of travel agents to a one-day review of how Air Canada does its pricing and inventory management. This helped all the attendees better understand pricing, the rules and how the airlines manage their business. If you understand the system, you have a much better chance of solving issues within the system. I find that the sales department plays a big role in bridging the gap between a huge airline and a travel agent. Without this gap being bridged, agents would struggle to work with an airline.”
Finding the Best Airline Partner
Not all airlines are created equal, and travel advisors should be careful to determine the best carrier with whom to work, according to Friisdahl. “Not all airlines work with travel agents the same way and price competitiveness is important but, as they say, you get what you pay for,” he says. “Going for the cheapest price could be a big mistake for both the travel consultant and the customer. Find an airline that has the culture of ‘we are truly here to support you, to the best of our ability.’”
Nanigian agrees that a smart advisor shouldn’t choose a preferred airline based solely on cheap airfares. “If I just work with the best-priced airline, I am not supporting my clients in the best way possible,” she explains. “If a flight is cancelled, which can be last minute, does the airline have a system in play to offer an alternative? Many of the smaller carriers run a stand-alone business model and don’t partner with other airlines. The bigger-name airlines have a relationship with each other and work together to help your clients.”
“This means that if I have my client on an Alaska Airlines flight that is delayed or cancelled and they will miss their connection, Alaska can reach out to American Airlines to see if they can accommodate the clients on one of their flights, so they can still make it to their destination,” Nanigian explains. “It is important to know that you are working with a team that will advocate for your clients just as you would.”
Nanigian considers several factors when choosing a preferred carrier. “I look at the service and the flexibility of the airline — not only as a travel advisor advocating for my clients, but also as a passenger,” she says. “It is important to know that if things go awry — which has been happening more often these past two years — that the airlines I partner with will want to work just as hard as I do to assist my clients to get to their destination.”
“The last couple of years I have become more particular in which airlines I will partner with,” Nanigian adds. “For one, the reliability of their aircraft has become very important. I won’t work with an airline that has older aircraft that tend to have mechanical issues and leave clients delayed or stranded more often than not.”
Happily, many airlines are aware of the value of working with agencies, according to Hershberger. “Airline/travel management company collaboration is more important than ever,” he says. “I think some airlines realize that they can’t handle all of the services for all of their customers. It’s more efficient to empower agencies to fulfill many of the customer service needs.”
The Future of Airline-Advisor Relations
As the travel industry returns to something closer to a pre-pandemic state, airline-advisor relationships continue to evolve. “The world is still slowly coming back to traveling,” says Friisdahl. “One issue that has not gone away is the lack of staffing for both travel agencies and airlines. This does add pressure to everyone, but I have to say one of the best things that happened to our organization is the relations we have with our Air Canada business manager. She, together with the team in sales, is what has made it conducive to our promoting Air Canada. In short, they really care about the consultants and customers — and this is, after all, key to any airline’s success.”
Nanigian says that recent challenges have, in some ways, had a positive effect on airline-advisor relations. “Customer service with the airlines has changed immensely,” she says. “I now feel like we are on the same team most of the time instead of competing. We are all trying to accomplish the same goal, which is making sure people are able to travel without interruption. The pandemic has brought about some positive changes in the relationship with the advisor and the airlines. I hope it is here to stay.”