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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Airline Reservation Agent

💰 $ - $

Customer ServiceTravel & HospitalityAirline Operations

🎯 Role Definition

An Airline Reservation Agent is responsible for delivering high-quality reservation, ticketing, and customer service support across phone, email, chat, and agency channels. This role requires expert use of global distribution systems (GDS) such as Amadeus, Sabre or Galileo, solid knowledge of fare rules and ticketing procedures (BSP/ARC), and a customer-first mindset to handle bookings, changes, refunds and irregular operations while meeting revenue and service quality targets.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Customer Service Representative in travel, hospitality, or contact centers
  • Travel Agent / Retail Travel Consultant
  • Airport Ground Staff or Check-in Agent

Advancement To:

  • Senior Reservations Agent / Senior Ticketing Agent
  • Reservations Team Lead / Supervisor
  • Corporate Travel Account Manager
  • Revenue Management Analyst or Operations Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Ticketing Specialist
  • Customer Experience Specialist
  • Sales or Corporate Travel Consultant

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage end-to-end reservation workflows by creating, modifying, and canceling Passenger Name Records (PNRs) in the assigned GDS (e.g., Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo) while ensuring accuracy of names, itinerary segments, SSR requests, and contact information to minimize irregularities and chargebacks.
  • Issue and reissue electronic tickets (ETKs) according to airline ticketing policies and fare rules, perform fare calculations, validate taxes and surcharges, and maintain compliance with BSP/ARC settlement procedures and documentation standards.
  • Advise customers and travel agents on fare rules, baggage allowances, seat availability, fare families, change and cancellation fees, and applicable promos or restrictions to ensure transparent pricing and reduce dispute rates.
  • Process complex rebookings during schedule changes, delays, and cancellations, proactively proposing alternative routings, re-accommodation or refunds, and coordinating with operations and airport teams to assist impacted passengers.
  • Handle high-volume inbound and outbound reservation calls, emails and chats with professional, empathetic communication—resolving booking queries, VIP requests, and escalation items while meeting SLA, AHT and quality assurance targets.
  • Sell ancillary services and upgrades (seat selection, excess baggage, priority boarding, lounge access, travel insurance) and cross-sell partner products to increase ancillary revenue while adhering to disclosure and sales process rules.
  • Validate travel documentation including passports, visas, health certificates and entry/exit requirements, advising passengers on documentation risks and liaising with corporate or agency clients for itinerary compliance.
  • Manage group bookings and block space reservations, coordinate deposit schedules, group manifest updates and special requirements (meal plans, special assistance), ensuring group-ticketing deadlines and payment milestones are met.
  • Administer frequent flyer and loyalty program enrollments, upgrades and mileage crediting; resolve loyalty credit disputes and communicate tier benefits, upgrades and partner earning rules.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of interline and codeshare agreements, airline partnerships and operational constraints to correctly issue tickets across multiple carriers and avoid invalid ticketing.
  • Execute payment processing and refunds following PCI-compliant procedures, process chargebacks and reconciliations with the finance team, and escalate suspicious transactions per anti-fraud policies.
  • Apply airline tariff and industry regulations (IATA resolutions, local civil aviation rules) when completing international itineraries to ensure regulatory compliance and minimize exposure to fines or penalties.
  • Manage special service requests (SSR) and PDRM/SSR codes for passengers with reduced mobility, unaccompanied minors, medical needs or dietary restrictions, coordinating follow-up with airport operations and catering where required.
  • Prepare and submit irregular operations (IROPS) reports, passenger disruption logs, and incident records while supporting re-accommodation teams during irregular operations to limit customer dissatisfaction and revenue loss.
  • Support corporate and agency accounts by handling negotiated fares, corporate discounts, group allotments, and reporting spend analytics; ensure private fares and contracts are honored and documented correctly.
  • Maintain meticulous data entry standards in CRM and reservation systems, ensuring contact notes, follow-up actions, and ticketing timelines are accessible to colleagues and supervisors for auditability and continuity of service.
  • Resolve escalated complaints and disputes by investigating fare calculations, booking history, and communications; provide fair resolutions, refunds, vouchers or alternative compensation within escalation guidelines.
  • Coordinate with ramp, gate, and customer service agents at airports to assist passengers with missed connections, baggage irregularities, and urgent re-accommodations, acting as the reservation liaison for ground operations.
  • Train and mentor junior reservation agents on booking protocols, GDS best practices, fare construction, customer handling, and compliance; contribute to internal knowledge base and standard operating procedures.
  • Generate and analyze reservation and booking performance reports (no-shows, cancellations, conversion rates) and provide insights to the reservations manager to improve processes, reduce errors and drive revenue performance.
  • Ensure strict adherence to privacy, data protection (GDPR) and airline confidentiality policies when handling passenger data and payments; participate in periodic audits and corrective action plans.
  • Participate in system testing and rollouts when new booking engines, GDS updates or ancillary platforms are introduced; provide user feedback, identify process gaps and assist in change management activities.

Secondary Functions

  • Provide back-up support for check-in or gate teams during peak travel periods and assist with manual processing for disrupted flights when required.
  • Participate in quality assurance reviews, call monitoring and coaching sessions to continuously improve customer satisfaction (CSAT) and Net Promoter Score (NPS).
  • Contribute to cross-functional projects such as improving self-service booking flows, FAQ content, and chatbot training data to reduce contact volumes and increase self-service adoption.
  • Assist in compiling compliance documentation and audit trails for BSP/ARC, government audits and internal risk assessments.
  • Maintain and update the reservations internal knowledge base with process changes, new fare rules, and seasonal promotions.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proficient in Global Distribution Systems (GDS): Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo/Worldspan — building PNRs, fare construction, ticketing and queuing.
  • Electronic ticketing and reissue experience, including BSP and ARC settlement processes and refund workflows.
  • Strong knowledge of fare rules, tariffing, ticketing regulations, taxes and surcharge calculations for domestic and international itineraries.
  • Experience with CRM systems and reservation platforms (airline CRS, ticketing portals, helpdesk systems) and accurate data entry practices.
  • Payment processing knowledge including PCI-compliant workflows, refunds, voids, chargebacks and reconciliation processes.
  • Ability to interpret and apply IATA resolutions, visa/passport requirements and airline interline/codeshare agreements.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel for reporting and reconciliation) and basic comfort with reporting / dashboards.
  • Familiarity with loyalty program management and frequent flyer crediting procedures.
  • Strong multi-channel contact handling skills: phone, email, chat, and agency portals.
  • Knowledge of health, safety and special assistance procedures, including SSR/SSRs and handling of unaccompanied minors.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional customer service orientation with patience, empathy and the ability to de-escalate highly stressed passengers.
  • Clear and professional verbal and written communication skills; ability to explain complex fare rules in plain language.
  • Problem-solving and critical thinking skills to propose alternative routings and commercially-viable solutions under time pressure.
  • Strong attention to detail and high accuracy in data entry to reduce booking errors and financial leakage.
  • Time management and multi-tasking capability in fast-paced, high-volume contact center or reservations environments.
  • Sales mindset with proven ability to upsell ancillaries and ancillary bundles while keeping customer needs central.
  • Team player who collaborates with operations, sales and airport teams to ensure a seamless passenger journey.
  • Adaptability to shifting priorities during irregular operations and rapid system updates.
  • Cultural sensitivity and, ideally, proficiency in multiple languages for international or multicultural customer bases.
  • Integrity and discretion in handling sensitive passenger and payment information.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Travel & Tourism, Business Administration, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Travel & Tourism
  • Hospitality Management
  • Business Administration
  • Aviation Management
  • Customer Service / Communications

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–5 years in airline reservations, ticketing, travel agency or contact center roles.

Preferred: 2+ years of direct airline reservations or ticketing experience with demonstrated proficiency in a GDS (Amadeus, Sabre or Galileo), BSP/ARC processes, and handling complex international itineraries.

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