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3 COMMON TRAVEL AGENT EXPRESSIONS (AND WHAT THEY REALLY MEAN)

Once you’ve memorized all the travel agent lingo, technical terms, and acronyms, you’ll inevitably find yourself turning to the same tried and tested agent expressions.

Once you’ve memorized all the travel agent lingo, technical terms, and acronyms, you’ll inevitably find yourself turning to the same tried and tested agent expressions.

These phrases are part of the bedrock of the travel agent lexicon, dished out to prospects and customers on a daily basis to save time and close the sale.

But you’d be an absolute fool to take these expressions literally. Behind every one of them is a hidden meaning that all travel agents know. (Do you know how to read a travel agent’s body language?)

Here are three common travel agent expressions you’ll hear daily in the office, and what they actually mean…

 

“I’VE HAD A LOOK, AND THESE ARE YOUR CHEAPEST OPTIONS”

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Translation: I want to go home now; or you’re obviously a time waster, now go away.

This expression is used when the travel agent wants to wrap things up for the day or take the consultation to the next stage. In both cases, it is uttered when the consultation has reached a critical juncture: either the customer is satisfied with the price offered and wishes to proceed with the booking, or he/she will tell you they’ll “think about it” and vanish from the face of the earth.

It’s important that the agent utter the phrase with a sense of finality – removing one’s hands from the keyboard, pushing back away from the monitor, and crossing one’s arms is the best way of communicating that there will be no more searching for the cheapest price.

 

“ARE YOU SURE YOU DON’T WANT TO LOOK AT SOMETHING WITH BETTER CONNECTIONS?”

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Translation: Don’t be such a tight arse!

It’s difficult to flat out accuse a customer of being too tight with their dollars during a consultation – polite society and general professionalism pretty much forbid this.

But when this is obviously the case, travel agents usually dress the accusation up in nice little expressions, such as the one above. Agents have been known to substitute “better connections” with “better service” or “better location,” often with “it’s not that much more” tagged onto the end.

 

“YOU COULD BOOK THAT FLIGHT, BUT I WOULDN’T…”

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Translation: What, are you stupid or something?

As a travel agent, you’re the expert, and that’s why people book with you.

Yet some customers stubbornly refuse to listen to your expert opinion, and after repeated attempts at explaining why the itinerary they found on skyscanner.com has some of the worse connections in the history of aviation, and that they’d be better off paying slightly more for a more streamlined flying experience, many travel agents resort to spitting out the above phrase.

It’s basically an admission that you’ve tried your best to explain why their online (inferior) itinerary is a bad choice, but they’re too thick (or cheap) to understand. As an agent, you can only do so much, and if the customer is that intent on going through with it, then there’s only so much protesting you can do. At least you’ll be able to tell them “I told you so” when they come back to see you!

What are some of your fave expressions that you regularly use on the job? Share them below!