With increased fuel costs, staffing woes and a two-year opportunity to rebuild software, airlines seem to have increasingly turned to AI for flight management. Rescheduled flights are now common place but rarely talked about. Many of our customers tell us they've had first-leg flights rebooked, to arrive after the second-leg departs. With no explanation from the airline, they are forced to call customer service. At its worst, this has taken up to five hours on hold, to get a response, and not always the result they were looking for. Cancellations are also rife. According to the ACCC, one in thirty flights gets cancelled and almost a third never arrive on time.
So, what do you do about this? What happens when you're mid-air and your next connections gets canned? Or the holiday you've booked is put in jeopardy? Who is there to help?
Our free VIP flight management service
*For every $3,000 of land-based travel you book with us, we will look after your flights for nothing.
That's a saving of $150, which is the standard fee we charge for flight management (since the airlines no longer pay anyone to do this).
In any case, $150 is not much to ask for your peace-of-mind, and we rarely get complaints. However, we would prefer not to charge you for this, when we can make our commission on ground-arrangements. For that, we are grateful enough.
Our VIP services
- Access to the world's most sophisticated airline booking system, with immediate and real-time updates on availability (unlike websites online, which can be delayed, due to caching);
- An expert with 30 years experience, to help you navigate the best possible price (it won't always match the 'best price' online – because often that's misleading – but it will be the best price available!);
- A complete understanding of what you are buying and any terms and conditions you need to know (did you know, for example, that airlines have no obligation to get you to a destination at a particular time);
- Notifications of any changes, all added into an e-itinerary that you receive when you book with us;
- A personal travel manager to look after any flight changes, cancellations or rescheduling, that affects your itinerary (this is happening almost every time we book flights these days). We will rebook and reissue tickets for you 'on the fly', or ask you what alternatives suit you best;
- An emergency phone number you can call for support while you travel.
Most of all, we'd prefer you to have a good trip and not have the worry of flight complications hanging over your head.
Customer satisfaction at an all-time high
In 2016 Choice.com.au was reporting an 89% satisfaction rating for AFTA accredited travel agents, whereas most airlines scored less than 50% and customers reported more problems booking direct online than any other sector.
Despite a deepening and poor track-record in customer service, airlines prefer you book direct with them, as they can squeeze out even more profit – Qantas recently reported a record win for its shareholders. But they've also stripped the commission for travel specialists; and the software created during COVID doesn't always dovetail with industry or customer expectations.
Domestic airline on-time performance for June 2022
Chart: ABC News Source: Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics Get the data