Ticket Agent
Ticket Agents work at airport counters or other designated sales points operated by airlines. They may work for travel companies and sometimes even for larger hotels. Ticket Agents greet and help customers and passengers with their flight reservations. They provide information regarding dates, schedules, availability and prices of flight tickets. Many of them would offer advice on matters relating to luggage, layovers, etc.
Job Roles
Many within this field start off in trainee positions and with experience go on to occupy senior positions. The salary scale may change from company to company, and certain organisations may send Ticket Agents for training overseas.
Career Progression
There is no clearly defined path for this profession. The longer that you work as a Ticketing Agent, the more experienced you become in handling queries, responding to inquiries and helping travellers tailor their itineraries. This means that you can rise in seniority, but it is unlikely that your designation will change.
Knowledge & Skills
As with most other jobs, you need to have completed your Ordinary Level Examination in order to consider this career. Thereafter, there are technical skills that you need to acquire, such as operating a computer, being able to use specific booking systems. One of the more popular institutes in the country is the International Airline Ticketing Academy, which has a host of courses which will help you pursue a career in this field. You certainly need to be proficient in English, as most of the systems you will be required to work with are in English.
Skills
- Excellent customer service
- Excellent verbal and written communication
- Technical skills, such as computer skills
- Reliability
- Honesty
- Coordination
- Time management
- Problem solving
- Mathematics
Hiring Process
As with other job categories such as Tour Guides, if you have completed your training and have a certification in hand, you are ready to take on the job. You can be hired by various companies ranging from niche to larger tour companies that offer auxiliary services like rent-a-cars and so on. Jobs in this field are generally more structured and you will be expected to work a predetermined number of hours a day. Depending on the size of the organisation you are applying for, you may be interviewed by the Human Resource Manager or by the Managing Director.
Salary Scales
Depending on the company you have applied to work for, and the years of experience you have, your salary may be upwards of Rs.30,000. There may also be other incentives like free tours, discounts on air tickets and other allowances offered by the company. You may ask for those details when interviewing for the job. It is likely that you will be placed on a probationary period of six months so that you are properly trained.
