Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

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

Skills

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

Abilities

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

Knowledge

• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• 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.
• 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.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• 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.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• 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.
• 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.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• 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.
• 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.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• 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.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• 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.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 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.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

Less than 1 month on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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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