Weather disruptions and why using a travel agent helps

As I write this blog, I am currently sitting at Dunedin Airport on an Autumnal Saturday, steering out the window at the fog that has caused all departing and arriving flights to be delayed. It allows me to truly appreciate why having travel agents with a heap of knowledge about all aspects of travel is so important. 

With my flight now delayed over an hour, I sit here wondering how many other people waiting, drinking coffee, chatting, working, and playing on their phones, are as calm as I am knowing that my connecting flight from Christchurch to the Gold Coast has been booked with the presumption that there might be delays.

Fog delays at Dunedin airport during Autumn aren’t a new phenomenon. With the Taieri River, Silver Stream, Waipori River, Lake Waihola and plenty of lush green grazing land for stock on the Taieri Plains, the bounty of moisture evaporates during the sunny days at this time of year, condenses overnight in the cool air, and then BAM we have fog in the morning. 

So we go back to how many other people are sitting here thinking, we are going to miss out next flight. And how many clients wouldn’t be going through that issue if they had used a travel agent? 

This isn’t the 1st time that I have sat here thinking, I am so happy I work for a travel agency. Last August 2022, I sat in this same seat with gale-force winds causing all flights in and out of Dunedin to cancel. Leaving the airport, my colleague and I walked past the giant line of passengers at the Air New Zealand Customer Service Desk trying to re-book their flights on another day. Whereas we jumped in a car and headed to the bus hub to get up to Christchurch for our next day’s 6 am flight direct to Sydney which had all been changed and confirmed by our travel agent boss back in the office, all by the time we had even left the airport. This tactical change of plans also meant that one of our clients who was also trying to get to Sydney on the same connecting flights, was able to be rebooked on to the same road trip to Christchurch. Now, here at Zest4Travel, we understand this isn’t for everyone, and that some travellers will happily change their flights to go out the day later etc, but having an agent also means you don’t have to stand in those long lines to get everything changed. You have a one-stop shop and access to one of our team 24/7 who you can call if needed, get straight through and have someone help you to rebook straight away. No holding for hours, no waiting in the queue or worst of all being so far at the back of one that you’re told you can’t travel for days. Our team jumps into gear and focuses on getting you rebooked on the best available transport alternative in these situations, to meet your needs. After all, it’s all about getting you away on your holiday with the least possible disruption to your important travel plans.

The main benefit of having a travel agent isn’t just that you don’t have to plan the trip, it’s the knowledge that they have on different airports, connection times, and check-in times, but when things go wrong is when they really shine! You have support from someone who understands your situation and really cares about it. This is counter to what you can experience when booking directly through an airline, or an online flight-based booking site which purely focus on price without any proper planning or human thought going into proper planning, such as allowing for weather delays.

So now that the fog has lifted, flights are now taking off and landing and I get ready to board my own flight, the key point I want to highlight from this blog is, travel agents are there to help you through your entire journey. From advice with planning, booking, tips whilst travelling, we take the stress out of getting to your destination by handling things when you get thrown curve balls like bad weather.