\u201cYou can\u2019t ever say that ChatGPT has actually travelled to Rome …<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve never been there and you may actually end up in a tourist trap.\u201d<\/p>\n
White said she was not worried about AI taking jobs away from travel agents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s definitely going to be some adoption with AI and that\u2019s really going to be in that mid-office [finance department] section and back of house. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to have a massive impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said widespread scamming and misinformation online meant people would keep wanting reliable, in-person advice.<\/p>\n
White said agents provided institutional knowledge, and more Middle East volatility<\/a> this week reinforced the value of getting professional advice.<\/p>\n \u201cMake sure you have the most appropriate travel insurance. And the devil is in the details with your insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n Reading fine print on insurance policies might not be fun but White said it could be essential.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n But White said Kiwis were still travelling to and through the Middle East and its hubs.<\/p>\n The region\u2019s biggest airline, Emirates, had taken steps to address conflict-related disruption with a new travel cover scheme announced on June 17.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve actually come up with a very good comprehensive insurance policy where they will cover medical and repatriation.\u201d <\/p>\n Emirates said its new policy included medical cover for conflict-related incidents.<\/p>\n More direct flights?<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would support and we\u2019d like to see greater new direct connectivity,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d also like to see the Government really leaning in to welcome additional carriers to come, because additional competition is extremely beneficial for all Kiwis.\u201d<\/p>\n White said the China market was resurgent and there was opportunity for growth from there.<\/p>\n Airbus this week said it expected global passenger traffic to double<\/a> in the next 20 years.<\/p>\n Did New Zealand have the people and infrastructure to handle rapid growth in commercial aviation?<\/p>\n White said numbers in New Zealand would not double, and seasonality would remain a major feature of travel.<\/p>\n But she added: \u201cWe will need additional infrastructure and that will actually come at a cost.\u201d<\/p>\n Bad actors<\/p>\n You might more likely use an overseas-owned travel search portal than visit a travel agency in person.<\/p>\n \u201cAn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n She said a Travel Agent Association (TAANZ) accredited agent had to meet robust membership criteria. The association also had a consumer protection fund.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe make sure that they adhere to best practice,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n She mentioned STA Travel, which collapsed in 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t meet our standards. Because what was happening was they were using member funds to pay just operations … We make sure client funds are separated. <\/p>\n \u201cWe also make sure that [agents] meet a minimum standard of training and that they\u2019re a New Zealand entity.\u201d<\/p>\n Consumer campaign<\/p>\n Consumer NZ last Friday launched a flight complaints portal for passengers to learn about their rights.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n A few days into the campaign, it said flight cancellations were the single biggest issue and international travel featured in 67% of the complaints.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople told us they were left to sort things out themselves after flights were cancelled or delayed,\u201d said Jessica Walker, Consumer NZ communications and campaigns manager.<\/p>\n \u201cMany had to organise accommodation, alternative travel and other arrangements at their own expense, then struggled to recover those costs.\u201d<\/p>\n Walker told the Herald consumers needed clear information about their rights and a straightforward path to obtaining rightful remedies.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should be looking at a minimum standard, like a code,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n She said Consumer NZ was arguing for more transparency from airlines.<\/p>\n \u201cThere should be an aviation charter of some sort, but it should just be minimum standards. It shouldn\u2019t be overly regulated.\u201d<\/p>\n