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Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks

Make and confirm reservations for transportation or lodging, or sell transportation tickets. May check baggage and direct passengers to designated concourse, pier, or track; deliver tickets and contact individuals and groups to inform them of package tours; or provide tourists with travel or transportation information.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Contact motel, hotel, resort, and travel operators to obtain current advertising literature.
    • Plan routes, itineraries, and accommodation details, and compute fares and fees, using schedules, rate books, and computers.
    • Provide customers with travel suggestions and information sources, such as guides, directories, brochures, or maps.
    • Make and confirm reservations for transportation and accommodations, using telephones, faxes, mail, and computers.
    • Check baggage and cargo and direct passengers to designated locations for loading.
    • Assemble and issue required documentation, such as tickets, travel insurance policies, or itineraries.
    • Keep information facilities clean during operation.
    • Examine passenger documentation to determine destinations and to assign boarding passes.
    • Provide boarding or disembarking assistance to passengers needing special assistance.
    • Prepare customer invoices and accept payment.
    • Assemble and issue required documentation, such as tickets, travel insurance policies, or itineraries.
    • Maintain computerized inventories of available passenger space and provide information on space reserved or available.
    • Provide clients with assistance in preparing required travel documents and forms.
    • Check baggage and cargo and direct passengers to designated locations for loading.
    • Determine whether space is available on travel dates requested by customers, assigning requested spaces when available.
    • Plan routes, itineraries, and accommodation details, and compute fares and fees, using schedules, rate books, and computers.
    • Contact customers or travel agents to advise them of travel conveyance changes or to confirm reservations.
    • Trace lost, delayed, or misdirected baggage for customers.
    • Promote particular destinations, tour packages, and other travel services.
    • Confer with customers to determine their service requirements and travel preferences.
    • Inform clients of essential travel information, such as travel times, transportation connections, or medical and visa requirements.
    • Answer inquiries regarding information, such as schedules, accommodations, procedures, or policies.
    • Open or close information facilities.
    • Announce arrival and departure information, using public address systems.

    Skills

    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    Abilities

    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    Knowledge

    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • 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.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • 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.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    Less than 1 month on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    47110/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    22.65/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    3,210
    Yearly Projected Openings
    430

    Personality

    Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Self Control
    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cooperation
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Social Orientation

    Tools

    • Airline ticket or boarding pass ATB printers
    • Cash registers
    • Desktop computers
    • Magnetic stripe readers and encoders
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Premise branch exchange PBX systems
    • Public address systems
    • Special purpose telephones
    • Ticket dispensing machines

    Technology

    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Financial analysis software
    • Internet browser software
    • Office suite software
    • Point of sale POS software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software