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Agents of change

Q&A: KATHY SUDEIKIS, TRAVEL AGENT

By STEVE HUETTEL
Published May 27, 2005

Talk about a business that has gone through the wringer.

First, travel agents saw airlines cut, then eliminate ticket commissions. The rise of the Internet gave consumers the ability to shop the full spectrum of air fares, hotel rooms and other travel buys from their homes.

Business travel tanked after the Sept. 11 attacks, and most companies are watching expenses with a sharp eye.

Kathy Sudeikis has a ringside seat. She works at All About Travel, an agency in Kansas with annual revenues of more than $60-million. Sudeikis also serves as the volunteer chief executive of the American Society of Travel Agents.

In an interview Thursday with the St. Petersburg Times, she talked about the evolving role of travel agents, when consumers should - and shouldn't - book trips themselves and what to expect in travel for the rest of the year.

How have travel agents adjusted to the turmoil of the past decade?

The industry's changed dramatically. People who were in it for the perks have disappeared - in droves. The opportunity to just be an order-taker or ... just indulge in the travel perks has pretty much disappeared. You have to be proactive. What's emerged is a focused group of travel professionals who know they provide value and service and expertise and an incredible amount of knowledge.

How big a threat to travel agents are Travelocity, Expedia or Web sites that "scrape" fares off the airlines' sites?

The advent of the Internet is the biggest challenge that we face. There are times when it's appropriate to use the Internet and times when it's appropriate to use a working travel agent who's a live body, who can help you through the nuances of what you want.

So, an easy point-to-point flight is something consumers should be able to book themselves on their home computers?

If it's your honeymoon, do you have any challenges there? During the trip if something goes wrong, who are you going to call? After trip, (agents can help) in terms of an advocate for followup.

Has that been a difficult message for you to sell to travelers?

It's very tough. People who have a travel agent absolutely love their travel agent and tell anybody who asks. But for every 10 that come back to us, the consumer media sends another 50 to the computer screen to try it on their own. A simple roundtrip ticket ... is not the problem. It's the more complicated trip. It's the minute you start having questions about how to add a wheelchair because you've got your mom along or how to make connections with your sister who's coming to meet you.

How important has it become for agents to become expert in a specialized travel niche?

That has opened a lot of windows. In our office ... we asked each (agent) to choose a specialty. We have a Disney specialist, two cruise specialists, an all-inclusive specialist, a South Pacific specialist. We even have a guy (who focuses on) Las Vegas. As a specialist, the goal is to be the best at what you do, be recognized as the best ... and find ways to harness that specialty online.

Travel agents remain the dominant seller of cruises. Why is that?

It is a more complicated sale. The cruise lines are really still interested in growing the pie for first-time travelers, and first-time travelers still have questions. I'd say the percentage (of customers) that's gone online and gone direct are repeaters who feel they know what they want and focus in on the price exclusively.

How busy a summer travel season do you expect?

Steve Huettel can be reached at huettel@sptimes.com or 813 226-3384.

[Last modified May 27, 2005, 00:39:13]