Skift Take
This summer of disruptions, delays and disorder has left travel agents frantically trying to serve their clients. Nothing tells that story quite like a typical day on the front lines for agent Dannielle Jasper.
This summer has been brutal for airlines, with the industry's ongoing staffing shortages and air traffic control problems driving a massive number of flight cancellations. Roughly 15 percent of planned summer flights in the U.S. from June through August were cut from schedules while Lufthansa was forced to cancel more than 1,000 flights scheduled to depart on July 27 due to its German ground staff going on strike.
That chaos has also complicated work for travel agents. Already struggling to accommodate the surge in travelers seeking guidance in trip planning, agents are increasingly swamped with having to handle matters pertaining to flight disruptions.
"We've never experienced anything like this before," said Dannielle Jasper, an agent who has worked at Cincinnati, Ohio-based agency Prestige Travel for 25 years.
"Normally, in the summer, we’re used to schedule changes and cancellations, but not like this."
So what has a day been like fo
Photo Credit: Travel agents have had many rough days at the office this summer. Getty Images / Ridofranz