It's not easy being a travel agent these days. Customers expect more service. Corporate travelers are out to tighten their budgets, and airlines are always looking for ways to cut back on commissions.
To complicate things further, the major carriers have made it possible for people to book their flights on the Internet, bypassing travel agents.
Gloria Bohan is optimistic about the fast-moving travel business. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Mrs. Bohan and her husband, Dan, have built up Washington's largest locally based travel agency, Omega World Travel Inc., with more than 200 offices around the country.
Question: How is technology changing the way travel agencies do business?
Answer: Actually, the industry has experienced what I would consider a technology explosion. Back early last year we tended to see a lot of advances in new technology - technology which would allow individuals to be able to access flight information and travel information much more easily through the Internet. Of course, the Internet, as you know, has opened up a world of information. It's a powerhouse in the travel industry because it makes available so many details to possible travelers. So I think there's a lot of good to it. I think one of my problems in running a travel business is trying to communicate to people all the features of a new area that they might be going to, trying to make sure that we identify all of the particulars that are needed, documentation, and give people a head's up on the new cultures and tips that they need to know even if they're a business traveler going abroad.
It's really important. As travel agents we've had access to a lot of this information ourselves, through research books and all of that. And then through the last few years it's become more available through computer systems. With all the creativity that's been put into the Internet, there's even more sources for us to access, and in a way it makes our jobs a little easier because people, if they are computer-oriented and like accessing the Internet, they read and they'll investigate a lot more than if they had to go to the library and get a book.
So it's opened up, I think, a lot of people's eyes to travel and to some really great information that's needed to make a trip successful. Also there's available the opportunity for the average person to book their own reservations on the Internet. I'm finding that while some people are doing this, I don't feel that it's having a serious impact yet on our business. That doesn't say it won't in the future.
Part of the problem is that the Internet is slow, and I find that in addition to that, people who are usually in a hurry - maybe the tinkerers, the people who like to play with the computer, don't mind taking a lot of time to make a reservation, particularly if you're having fun with it at 12 o'clock at night or 11 o'clock at night in your home. It's a different story. But the average person wants quick information, and they also want to have the comfort of knowing that they're getting the best possible prices.
If you're doing it yourself, you usually don't have the expertise to say, "OK, am I really going after all the right carriers? Am I reading this correctly? Am I making the right decision on pricing?" So we find that people still need the travel agent to give them good advice, to act as a shopper for the consumer, to give them good comparisons. Also, travel agents do negotiate special deals with the airlines, with cruises and hotels and tour operators. And some of these things are available through our Web site, through other people's Web sites. And some special air fares are put into the computer. So really the Internet is being accessed by everybody, and we're all using it as a resource.
Q: Sounds like you all have had to make the case that you are valuable, whereas in the past it was a no-brainer.
A: You're right. People have information more easily accessible to them. Whereas we used to always have people come in and want travel brochures to read about or go to the library, with having information on the Internet it's much more easy for people to access. It's lively. It's informative. It's quick. So in that respect, people might become better-educated and actually could really increase the amount of travel.
Q: What are companies doing in response to the rising cost of business travel?
A: Business travelers have really got into travel management big time, and this has all happened over the last 15 years. You go back to 1984, '85, there really weren't that many people that were really thinking, "Oh, I have to manage my travel budget." Because even back then they didn't have a good system available to track travel. And today travel agents have become really like bookkeepers, analysts for these companies regarding their travel budgets. So we produce all kinds of sophisticated reports. We break things down by division, by traveler. We show when somebody doesn't take the lowest fare. We negotiate prices for people.
The companies are always looking to cut costs, and travel has been one of the key areas that they've looked at. Travel and salaries are considered two of the biggest expenditures that corporations have, in addition to research and development. It's been more of a trend for companies to look at how they can more efficiently manage their travel budget. And one of the ways is, let's look at our volume and see if we can negotiate a better price, because typically the business traveler has complained that they are subsidizing the vacation traveler, that they're paying a higher amount. Companies who have the volume are negotiating and have been negotiating for years through their travel agents in most cases.
But the airlines I think are very afraid of diluting their product too much, and I can understand that. If they make air fares so available to so many companies, I'm not so sure that they're going to be able to substantiate charging anyone a higher price. I think what we're talking about is bringing the ceiling going down, and therefore I believe that if a company has the volume, that they should go and look at negotiating a special air fare with a carrier. There's just so far I think a carrier can go anyway if they're going to provide the level of service that's required.
Q: What do you think of the proposed taxes on frequent-flier programs?
A: That's come up in the past. It's never passed. And I think one of the reasons might be that people like those frequent-flier miles. It's tough to give that up. It's really a perk in the industry. I think that if they are taxed it's going to be a real sour note with the general public. People are using their credit cards and earning frequent miles and getting mortgages and getting frequent-flier miles, the whole bit.
Q: The government is investigating frequent-flier programs because of all the restrictions the airlines are piling onto them. Is there a problem with the programs?
A: I think the frequent-flier programs are constantly changing. They're either getting bad, or they're taking stuff away. It's a dynamic which personally we find very hard to keep on top of because we deal with so many airlines and so many car-rental companies and hotels. So I think the problem is just understanding the changes, and I think that's what [the Department of Transportation] is alluding to.
The airlines have frequent-flier desks and send out multiple pieces of information, and it's like anything: How much are people really going to be able to read? They are complex, and I think it's important for travelers to decide they're going to be in one program, and if they really are serious about garnering all the benefits, they're really going to have to become readers of that literature.
My advice is to use it as soon as possible. I wouldn't keep saving it for a rainy day, because I think if you don't use it you're going to lose it.
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SELF-PORTRAIT
Gloria Bohan, founder and chief executive officer, Omega World Travel Inc.
AGE: 55
EDUCATION: B.A. in English, with a minor in art and education, Marymount Manhattan College
EXPERIENCE: English and reading teacher, New York City, D.C. and Arlington County public schools
FAVORITE QUOTATIONS: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift, and that is why it's called the present."
CAR I DRIVE: 1991 Lexus
FAMILY: Husband, Dan
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