CareerZone Pennsylvania

Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks

Description

Make and confirm reservations and sell tickets to passengers and for large hotel or motel chains. May check baggage and direct passengers to designated concourse, pier, or track; make reservations, deliver tickets, arrange for visas, contact individuals and groups to inform them of package tours, or provide tourists with travel information, such as points of interest, restaurants, rates, and emergency service.

Job Zone

Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed.

Education Requirements

Short-term on-the-job training - Necessary skills are acquired through on-the-job training lasting no more than 1 month.

Interests

Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Knowledge

Transportation	Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Public Safety and Security	Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
English Language	Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Customer and Personal Service	Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills

Persuasion	Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Operation and Control	Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Complex Problem Solving	Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Monitoring	Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Time Management	Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Coordination	Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Instructing	Teaching others how to do something.
Social Perceptiveness	Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Learning Strategies	Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Judgment and Decision Making	Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Tasks

• Examine passenger documentation to determine destinations and to assign boarding passes.
• Provide boarding or disembarking assistance to passengers needing special assistance.
• Check baggage and cargo, and direct passengers to designated locations for loading.
• Announce arrival and departure information, using public-address systems.
• Trace lost, delayed, or misdirected baggage for customers.
• Promote particular destinations, tour packages, and other travel services.
• Provide clients with assistance in preparing required travel documents and forms.
• Open and close information facilities, and keep them clean during operation.
• Provide customers with travel suggestions and information such as guides, directories, brochures, and maps.
• Contact customers or travel agents to advise them of travel conveyance changes or to confirm reservations.
• Contact motel, hotel, resort, and travel operators to obtain current advertising literature.
• Determine whether space is available on travel dates requested by customers, and assign requested spaces when available.
• Inform clients of essential travel information such as travel times, transportation connections, and medical and visa requirements.
• Maintain computerized inventories of available passenger space, and provide information on space reserved or available.
• Confer with customers to determine their service requirements and travel preferences.

Wages

In 2006, the Pennsylvania average annual wage was $29,250.00. The entry-level wage was $18,470.00 while an experienced worker made $34,630.00.

Outlook

During 2004, there were approximately 5,070 people employed in this field in Pennsylvania. It is projected that there will be 5,070 employed in 2014. This occupation will have about 0 openings due to growth and about 132 replacement openings for approximately 132 total annual openings. This occupation remained steady/constant.

Colleges and Training

Below are college programs that are generally associated with this occupation. To view colleges that offer these programs, click on the titles below.

• Data Entry/Microcomputer Applications, GeneralA program that generally prepares individuals to perform basic data and text entry using standard and customized software products. Includes instruction in keyboarding skills, personal computer and work station operation, reading draft texts and raw data forms, audio and tape dictation, and various interactive software programs used for tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and others.

For additional college information and related training about this career path, please visit:

AES EducationPlanner, PA Dept of Labor, PA Career Link, college.gov, and College Navigator

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