Ethics in Travel Flashcards
Where must Travel Advisors display ethics?
- Client confidentiality
- Industry benefits
- Misrepresentation and disclosure
- Ticketing
- Selecting suppliers
What ways can TA display ethics when dealing with clients?
- Do not disclose client information to others unless in the industry and the information is required to provide services
- Client’s travel plans should never be discussed in the office or given over the phone to anyone else other than the client
- Details concerning travel plans should never be left via messages or recordings
- Travel advisors should never discuss pricing and benefits given to them by suppliers as perks of working in the industry
What are card mills?
Organisations that sell travel agent identification cards to the general public under the guise of bona fide industry employment
How do ASTA and travel partners guard against card mills?
- ASTA continues to send warnings to the unwary.
- Suppliers typically ask for, and can verify, an ASTA card, an ARC number, a TRUE card or the official IATAN Travel Agent ID card before granting discounts.
What are some ways travel agencies misrepresent themselves?
- Bait and switch schemes - advertising prices that are unavailable or so low that very few people will actually be able to access them
- Not informing the client of the actual price prior to decision, only to have multiple obligatory charged added on after.
- Overstating opinions as facts in an attempt to close the sale. e.g This is the best island in the Caribbean. You’ll absolutely love it.
Give 2 examples of unethical ticketing practices
- Back to back ticketing- Buying two round trip tickets at discounted fares, while using only one portion of each ticket to create a complete round trip. This allows the circumvention of paying a higher fare for that round trip based on the dates of travel.
- Hidden city ticketing - Buying a ticket to one destination, where the route involves a stop at another destination. The client’s intended destination is that stop and not the destination purchased but it is cheaper to purchase a ticket for another destination than the intended one. The client then ends the journey at the stopover.
What is doublebooking?
Booking two reservations for a client at the same time where it is evident that only one spot can be used.
Your company has a preferred supplier who is not the best fit for your client’s needs. Do you recommend the preferred supplier or one better suited to the client?
Although some agencies would not be able to do without the overrides given to them by the preferred suppliers (these suppliers being preferred based on their value, service and being leaders in their field), always recommend suppliers based on your client’s need even if this results in a lower commission.
What questions can you ask yourself to ensure you are making ethical decisions?
- Is your choice of action logical and reasonable?
- Does the solution you chose follow the test of sportsmanship? i.e is if everyone took the same action would it be beneficial for all?
- Where do you think your plan of action will lead? What impact will it have on others? What effect will it have on you?
- How well will you think of yourself when you look back at your actions?
- If this problem affected someone you most admire, how would you act?
- What difference, if any, would it make if everyone knew about your decision?
Give ways you can remain ethical in your business
- Obey the law but don’t hide behind it
- Do the right thing when there is such a thing
- Talk it out with others, but choose your others carefully
- Prepare to be punished for honesty
- Stay out of ethical debt
- Sweat the small stuff
- Be a cheerleader for ethical champions
- Permit mistakes so you don’t promote cover-ups
- Bear the blame for your behaviour
- Mind more than your own business
- Follow a behavioral code
What is a behavioral code?
A written code of conduct explaining the company’s policy regarding ethical challenges most likely to occur. These codes should incorporate the core values - those values which guide the principles and fundamental beliefs - that make up the heart of the organisation
List some core values which should be included in any organisation
- Excellence in service - to ensure our clients receive our best efforts and customised products of the highest value, before, during, and after a transaction.
- Honesty and integrity - to exhibit ethical truthful and honourable behaviour and to exercise good judgment.
- Passion - to love what we do and to inspire excitement in our clients
- Commitment - to be loyal, dedicated and devoted to our clients, the organisation, the community and the profession.
- Individual responsibility - to hold ourselves accountable, to deliver on our promises and to own up to our mistakes
- Efficiency and accuracy - To do things correctly the first time, without wasting time, effort and resources.
- Communication - To respond quickly, accurately and honestly to clients, vendors, suppliers, supervisors and co-workers.
- Currency and knowledge - to constantly search the best trends, methods and destinations to best serve the client and the organisation.
