Every year, a number of people travel by train, plane, ship, automobile, and bus. Most of these travelers depend upon the services of transportation and reservation travel clerks and ticket agents. The work of clerks and agents includes confirming reservation, selling tickets, providing travel related information, checking baggage, etc.
Job Prospect
Some of the reservation clerks work for large hotel chains or airlines where they help people make reservations and plan trips. Generally, they work in call centers to make reservation; they need to answer e-mail or telephone inquiries, recommend travel arrangement, and provide information such as fares, routes, kinds of accommodation, and schedules.
Travel clerks and ticket agents conform and change lodging reservations and transportation. Some of the clerks and agents use their own firm's reservation system to attain information required to change, make, and cancel traveler reservations. Sometimes, transportation ticket agents are called passenger booking clerks, passenger service agents, ticket clerks, airport service agents, reservation clerks, passenger booking clerks, and ticket sellers.
These clerks work in train stations, airports, and bus stations where their duties include selling tickets, checking baggage, and assigning seats to passengers. Additionally, they may examine visas and passports, give directions, answer inquires, etc. Ticket agents and travel clerks need to help customers who have troubles to receive ticket from kiosks or serf-service ticketing machine.
Some ticket agents are known as station or gate agents. These clerks work in airport terminals where they help passengers boarding airplanes. The job duties for these clerks include check tickets, direct passengers to correct boarding area, make boarding announcements, and help elderly, young, and disabled passengers.
The work of travel clerks is to provide information about restaurants, points of interest, emergency services, and overnight accommodations. Sometimes, they make restaurant, hotel, and rental car reservations. These travel clerks may answer questions related to travels and help in completing travel documents.
Work Environment
Most transportation and reservation travel clerks and ticket agents work in call centers, airports, bus and train terminals, which are safe and clean. Ticket and reservation agents work in large and centralized reservation centers. They spend ample amount of time interacting with customers on the telephone using computer to make reservation entries. Ticket agents and travel clerks who work in call centers, sometimes, have to work under severe stress. At times, the environment in a call center may be noisy and hectic.
Ticket agents who work in transportation sites may have to lift heavy baggage. Some travel clerks and transportation & reservation ticket agents work forty hours a week. Most clerks and agents work part-time. Sometimes, they require working late nights, weekends, evenings, and holidays. Usually, clerks who are senior most are assigned desirable shifts.
Transportation and reservation ticket agents and travel clerks, sometimes, have to perform stressful and repetitive tasks. They work under strict time constraints. Clerks and agents have to work accurately and quickly to avoid blunders. Sometimes, angry customers may create stressful situation where clerks or agents have to deal with and resolve customer's problems. These clerks and agents need to use computer to execute their tasks, which may lead to eyestrain. Travel clerks and ticket agents have to carry out following responsibilities.
Responsibilities
Educational Qualification
Many transportation and reservation ticket agents spend many weeks in training programs sponsored by the company. In this training program, employees are given insights on reservation systems and other information related to travel. Candidates who wish to get into this filed need to have ability to work quickly, good customer service skills, and interpersonal skills.
Candidates have to possess a high school diploma or equivalent to become reservation ticket agents, travel clerks, and transportation ticket agents. Some ticket agents and airline reservation agents acquire skills through company training programs. In this training program, they are taught ticketing procedures and industry policies. Trainees are given special training in airline computer system to attain information on fares, schedules, check availability of seats, make passenger itineraries, make reservation for passengers, etc. Additionally, they have to be accustomed to airline, train, and airport code designations, safety procedures, and security regulations.
Upon completing the classroom instructions, new agents require to work under the guidance of experienced agents or supervisors. These new agents have to perform good as their performance may be monitored by supervisors. New agents are guided to improve customer service in a polite manner.