Ask an agent: How has the industry changed?

To say that the travel industry has seen some improvements within the past 10 years would be a major understatement. From slimmer seats to faster flights, we’re soon going to see even more innovations to the industry that’ll change the way we travel in the future.

Being that many of our agents have been in the industry for more than 20 years, we decided to get some industry insight. We asked the question, “In your opinion, what has been the most drastic change to corporate travel since you began your career in the industry?” Who better to ask for this insight than our President/COO, Tom Ollinger.

"One word – technology – and technology promotes knowledge for both the traveler and the corporate travel arranger.  When I entered the travel business, only 8% of households had a personal computer, and the worldwide web was still a decade away.”

“Today, both we and the traveler can research every aspect of a trip – dining options, airport amenities, destination alerts and activities, you name it.  And travel management tools now available are so refined, with easy tab access from a drop-down menu, a corporate travel manager can determine the whereabouts of every traveler in his organization at any given point in time.”

“The one thing that has not changed, at least within our organization, is the personalized service that still goes into each and every reservation. Knowledge and technology place an even higher demand on premium customer service, and EWA rises to that challenge."