Most travel agencies would be more interested in selling airline ancillary products if the process were more efficient, according to a Travelport survey of GDS users.
Travelport’s airline merchandising survey found that 62% of agencies around the world say booking ancillaries is confusing because every airline “is different,” while 58% say it generates more work for them and affects productivity.
When asked how much time booking optional services adds to air ticket sales, the average response across all regions was 29%.
Seventy-seven percent said they already offer ancillary products to some of their clients; 32% of agents said they book the products and services for them (via airline websites, the phone or, if possible, the GDS).
In the Americas, 30% said they sell ancillary services to some clients and refer others to the airlines to do it themselves. Nineteen percent said they provide the service to all customers, and 23% said they provide it to some customers.
In Asia, Europe and the Middle East, agents are more likely to book the services for their clients all the time. Only 11% of agencies in the Americas said they do not offer these services.
When asked why they don’t offer ancillary airline products, agents' most common answer in Europe was that it generated no additional revenue (41%). In the Americas, the most common reason was that most services are not available for agency booking (33%).
Agents indicated that they would like to sell ancillary services through the GDS. Eighty-four percent of respondents said it would be a considerable benefit, with time savings and improved service as the top two reasons cited.
Preferred seat assignments are the most commonly booked ancillary, the survey found, with 64% of respondents saying that they book them always/often for their clients. Travel insurance came next (36%), followed by checked baggage fees (30%) and upgrades (27%).
However, almost as many agents said they rarely/never book insurance, baggage and upgrades for their clients.
Travelport surveyed 610 agents in 12 countries.
Follow Johanna Jainchill on Twitter @jjainchilltw.