“You can’t ever say that ChatGPT has actually travelled to Rome …
“They’ve never been there and you may actually end up in a tourist trap.”
White said she was not worried about AI taking jobs away from travel agents.
“There’s definitely going to be some adoption with AI and that’s really going to be in that mid-office [finance department] section and back of house. I don’t think it’s going to have a massive impact.”
She said widespread scamming and misinformation online meant people would keep wanting reliable, in-person advice.
White said agents provided institutional knowledge, and more Middle East volatility this week reinforced the value of getting professional advice.
“Make sure you have the most appropriate travel insurance. And the devil is in the details with your insurance.”
Reading fine print on insurance policies might not be fun but White said it could be essential.
In some cases, a policy might cover lost luggage or problems encountered in transit, and, in other cases, it might not. Coverage for acts of war could vary too.
But White said Kiwis were still travelling to and through the Middle East and its hubs.
The region’s biggest airline, Emirates, had taken steps to address conflict-related disruption with a new travel cover scheme announced on June 17.
“They’ve actually come up with a very good comprehensive insurance policy where they will cover medical and repatriation.”
Emirates said its new policy included medical cover for conflict-related incidents.
More direct flights?
Capacity to Southeast Asia has not surpassed pre-Covid levels and New Zealand has only two direct flight services to South America and none to India.
“We would support and we’d like to see greater new direct connectivity,” White said.
“We’d also like to see the Government really leaning in to welcome additional carriers to come, because additional competition is extremely beneficial for all Kiwis.”
White said the China market was resurgent and there was opportunity for growth from there.
Airbus this week said it expected global passenger traffic to double in the next 20 years.
Did New Zealand have the people and infrastructure to handle rapid growth in commercial aviation?
White said numbers in New Zealand would not double, and seasonality would remain a major feature of travel.
But she added: “We will need additional infrastructure and that will actually come at a cost.”
Bad actors
You might more likely use an overseas-owned travel search portal than visit a travel agency in person.
“An online travel agent is a travel agent … My concern is, what are your rights? Even Consumer NZ report the majority of their travel complaints are actually around third-party booking sites.”
She said a Travel Agent Association (TAANZ) accredited agent had to meet robust membership criteria. The association also had a consumer protection fund.
TAANZ said a bonding authority administered the fund, which had financial protection for retail customers if a member travel agent failed to properly pass money on to airlines, accommodation providers, or suppliers.
“We make sure that they adhere to best practice,” White said.
She mentioned STA Travel, which collapsed in 2020.
“They didn’t meet our standards. Because what was happening was they were using member funds to pay just operations … We make sure client funds are separated.
“We also make sure that [agents] meet a minimum standard of training and that they’re a New Zealand entity.”
Consumer campaign
Consumer NZ last Friday launched a flight complaints portal for passengers to learn about their rights.
It said more than eight in 10 travellers who complained about flight disruptions said they received no remedy, only a partial remedy, or were still waiting for a resolution.
A few days into the campaign, it said flight cancellations were the single biggest issue and international travel featured in 67% of the complaints.
“People told us they were left to sort things out themselves after flights were cancelled or delayed,” said Jessica Walker, Consumer NZ communications and campaigns manager.
“Many had to organise accommodation, alternative travel and other arrangements at their own expense, then struggled to recover those costs.”
Walker told the Herald consumers needed clear information about their rights and a straightforward path to obtaining rightful remedies.
Consumer NZ said unlike in the European Union, New Zealand had no rules requiring airlines to tell passengers about their rights if things went wrong.
“We should be looking at a minimum standard, like a code,” White said.
She said Consumer NZ was arguing for more transparency from airlines.
“There should be an aviation charter of some sort, but it should just be minimum standards. It shouldn’t be overly regulated.”
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation. He previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.
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