Kudos to Companies Raising the Bar on Travel Agent Payment

In a TravelPulse interview for a story I wrote on protecting agent commissions during the coronavirus back in April, advisor James Berglie of Be All Inclusive brought up what I thought was a very sensible proposal.

“We would love to see a change in the industry to pay agents once the reservation enters full penalty as opposed to waiting until after guests travel, as the livelihood of our businesses rely on it,” he said.

While that has yet to happen, Collette just raised the bar higher with its new commission payment program, which will pay agents in advance for bookings made with the company, including $100 for land-only bookings, $125 for land and air bookings and $200 for any booking with the company’s Travel Protection Plan.

It should come as no surprise that the company unveiled such a program, as it has historically served as an advocate for its travel advisor partners.

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In April, Collette was one of the first suppliers to hit the marketplace with attractive offers to help both agents and their clients with attractive offers. Clients were given the option to receive full cash-back refund and vouchers for travel through the end of 2021 valued at 105 percent of the money paid.

“It’s essential that we support our travel advisor partners in maintaining those relationships by having policies in place that put the travel advisor at the forefront of the customer experience,” said Collette Executive Vice President Jeff Roy.

Collette, however, isn’t the only supplier offering more lucrative commissions options.

In April, Atlas Ocean Voyages unveiled the “Get Paid Now” program awards travel agents with up to $750 per deposited booking, and their clients receive up to $2,000 in savings.

Crystal River Cruises created the Advanced Purchase Savings Program, which ran for four months and offered incredible discounts for guests and provided travel advisors with a $250 gift card and full commission payout once payment has been received.

And Regent Seven Seas Cruises Travel enabled advisors to earn a $100 gift card for every new deposited booking on applicable “Return with Regent” voyages made by Aug. 31, 2020.

Kudos to Collette, Crystal River Cruises, Atlas and Regent for raising the bar on agent pay.