print
Course Name
Travel Agent Certificate Program - Instructor Led

Contact Hours: 360

Course Description
The Travel Agent Certificate Program consists of twelve individual courses (see course list below). Each course includes instruction, student-instructor interaction through email and message boards, assignments and a final exam. Courses require 20- 30 contact hours for completion and are self paced but individual courses must be completed within 90 days of your start date and all courses must be completed within one year of the start of the first course. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to demonstrate proficiency in the following areas:
  1. Sabre Computer Reservation System (Air Reservations, Faring and Ticking and Hotel and Car Accommodations)
  2. Travel Reservations.
  3. Leisure Travel Products
  4. Destination Geography
  5. Faring and Ticketing

FAQ
How long will it take me to complete the course?
Each course will take you between 20 - 30 hours a piece to complete. All courses are completely internet delivered and allow you to study at your own pace but must be completed within one year of the date you begin. The average student takes three to four months to complete all of the training.
How quickly can I begin?
Upon registration you will receive your personal user name and password and directions on how to begin your course work within 24 hours of registration. You will have access to all course materials, student-instructor interaction, assignments and exams.
What is the Job Board and how do I gain access to it?
The Job Board gives you access to resume, cover letter and interview information with instruction specific to the travel and tourism industry. In addition, the Job Board provides access to comprehensive and frequently updated national databases of tourism jobs sponsored by industry leading organizations such as ASTA and ISTTE.

Benefits of Travel Agent Certificate Program:
  • Take the course at your own pace - so long as the course is completed within 90 days of registration.
  • Do the lessons at any hour of the day or night. Send or retrieve information 24/7.
  • No need to purchase additional textbooks or materials
  • As you approach completion, access the Job Board for assistance in finding career opportunities currently available in your area.
  • Use entire program as a newcomer and upon completion be ready to work in the travel and tourism industry.

    • Individual Course Descriptions
      Travel Sales and Trends - Instructor Led
      Air Fares - U.S. Domestic - Instructor Led
      ARC Documents - Instructor Led
      Fares and Tickets International - U.S. - Instructor Led
      The Cruise Market - Instructor Led
      Automated Car Rental and Hotel Accommodations - U.S. - Instructor Led
      Selling Vacation Packages and Tours - Instructor Led
      Ground Transportation - Instructor Led
      Air Reservations - U.S. Domestic - Instructor Led
      Hotels and Lodging - Instructor Led
      Automated Air Fares & Tickets - U.S. - Instructor Led
      Automated Air Reservations - U.S. - Instructor Led

      Outcome
      As a result of taking the Travel Agent Certificate Program you will qualified to work in the following careers:
      • Travel Agent
      • Hotel
      • Tour Operators
      • Airlines
      • Car Rental Companies
      • Independent Travel Agent

      Assessment


      Evaluation of student performance will be based on the following:

      Completion of assignments.
      Exam grades

      Successful completion of each course requires passing the exam with an 80% average or greater. Each exam may only be accessed and submitted one time. Students not able to complete their exam after beginning will be required to repurchase and retake the complete course. Each course must be completed within 90 days of registration but may be completed sooner. Students are subject to dismissal for unsatisfactory conduct and will not receive a refund.

      The principal classifications of unsatisfactory conduct are:


      Theft or destruction of property including but not excluded to intellectual or physical work or software, belonging to the school or other students.

      Cheating on an exam or other material. The use of another student’s or individual’s work or material for a grade.

      Personal behavior that is disruptive to the learning environment, including: abusive language, intimidation, flagrant lack of respect for the staff or the peaceful enjoyment of other students and staff.

      The unlawful or unethical use of the course curriculum, programming or communication as determined by the staff. Students will be considered for readmittance upon signing an agreement to comply with all school policies. Upon registration the Instructional Support Course Administrator emails a welcome letter to the student to begin unrestricted email communication and support, then contacts the student on a regular basis regarding progress; corrects, annotates and grades Exercises and Reviews.

      Questions will normally be answered within 24 hours on regular business days.



      Outline

      Travel Agent Certificate Program Courses 

      Travel Sales and Trends - Instructor Led
      Enjoy expected as well as surprising sales techniques and new approaches. Included you will find telephone business manners, listening skills, and tools for targeting the traveler. Discover successful sales steps for telephone reservations.

      Ground Transportation - Instructor Led
      You will find car rental a relatively simple product to sell and book and commissions are reasonable. Some seventy percent of North Americans travel by car while vacationing. Learn the basics of the product, policies, procedures, codes, pricing and distribution. Rail travel recaptures the image of a different time and appeals to many leisure travelers. This study focuses on Amtrak, VIA Rail, BritRail and Eurail, the types of train accommodations, services and fare structure.

      Hotels and Lodging - Instructor Led
      Earn great commissions by booking your clients’ hotel accommodations. Learn the basics of the hotel product, rate structure, property and room classifications, codes, published and automated resources and non-automated reservations procedures. Identify your guests’ preferences, learn the variables that affect prices, select the right hotel for any given client.

      The Cruise Market - Instructor Led
      Earn great commissions by booking cruises, one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry. Learn the basics of the cruise product, cruise classifications, destinations, types of cruises, print resources and non-automated reservations procedures. Identify your clients needs and preferences, learn the variables that are available in cruising and select and book the right cruise for any given client.

      Air Reservations - U.S. or Canadian Domestic - Instructor Led
      Gain the product knowledge and skills (with the exception of automated reservations) needed to research, plan and book air travel. You will learn the terminology, the policies and the procedures of airline travel and airline reservations. While the sale of air travel is no longer the major revenue producer for travel professionals, it is a vital part of the travel industry as the most used mode of transportation to business destinations and highly used mode to vacation/leisure destinations.

      Air Fares - U.S. or Canadian Domestic - Instructor Led
      (Prerequisite course: Air Reservations U.S. or Canadian) Learn the air fare terms, codes, fare construction principles and fare application rules necessary to find, interpret and apply the lowest applicable fare to your clients’ air itinerary. Practice the interpretation of the multiple air transportation taxes and fees applicable to air travel. Air fares are historically difficult to interpret and apply.

      ARC Documents - Instructor Led
      (Prerequisite courses: Air Reservations and Air Fares U.S. Domestic) Here is your ticketing course. Your air traveler will need a ticket and boarding pass to board the aircraft at departure time. The airline tickets used for air travel in the United States are issued, controlled andprocessed through an Area Settlement Plan administered by the Airline Reporting Corporation (ARC). Here you will coverthe ticketing types, forms, policiesand procedures per the ARC as well as forms of payment, refunds and exchanges.

      Automated Air Reservations U.S. or Canadian Domestic - Instructor Led
      You will learn to book air reservations using RTS®, a hands on Computer Reservation System (CRS) simulation of Sabre® in conjunction with the online tutorial. Each lesson combines selections from a proven Sabre® text with helpful hints and instruction to most effectively use the realistic simulator, RTS? Sabre®. You will learn and practice the basic functions of Sabre® as used by travel professionals planning and booking air travel. Exercises and drills will improve your proficiency and speed. You will master the skills necessary to make, maintain, change, and cancel automated travel reservations. Available in U.S. or Canadian versions. Note: Each course requires a new software download. RTS® is only IBM compatible but may be utilized on a Mac using Virtual PC.

      Automated Air Fares and Tickets - U.S. or Canadian Domesic - Instructor Led
      (Prerequisite course: Automated Air Reservations) You will learn to find the lowest applicable fare for your client as you utilize the Computer Reservation System (CRS) Sabre® to display fares between city pairs and the Sabre® pricing system to calculate the total fare, including fees and taxed for the simplest and most complex domestic air itineraries. You will be using RTS®, a hands onComputer Reservation System (CRS) simulation of Sabre® in conjunction with the online tutorial. Each lesson combines selections from a proven Sabre® text with helpful hints and instruction to most effectively use the realistic simulator, RTS? Sabre®. You will learn and practice the basic functions of Sabre®. Exercises and drills will improve your proficiency and speed. You will master the skills necessary to quote fares and price automated travel reservations. Available in U.S. or Canadian versions. Note: Each course requires a new software download. RTS® is only IBM compatible but may be utilized on a Mac using Virtual PC.

      Automated Car Rental and Hotel Accommodation - Instructor Led
      (Prerequisite course: Automated Air Reservations) You will learn to research, select and book car rentals and hotel rooms using RTS®, a hands on Computer Reservation System (CRS) simulation of Sabre® in conjunction with the online tutorial. Each lesson combines selections from a proven Sabre® text with helpful hints and instruction to most effectively use the realistic simulator, RTS® Sabre®. You will learn and practice the basic functions of Sabre®. Exercises and drills will improve your proficiency and speed. You will master the skills necessary to make, maintain, change, and cancel automated car and hotel reservations. Available in U.S. or Canadian versions. Note: Each course requires a new software download. RTS® is only IBM compatible but may be utilized on a Mac using Virtual PC.

      Selling Vacation Packages and Tours - Instructor Led
      Earn great commissions by booking vacation packages and tours, one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry. Learn the basics of the tour product, components of tours, tour destinations, types of vacation packages and tours, print and electronic resources and non-automated tour booking procedures. Understand the function of tour operators and wholesalers.

      Fares and Tickets International - U.S. or Canadian Domestic - Instructor Led
      (Prerequisite courses: Air Reservations and Air Fares) International air travel hasexpanded exponentially in the past decade and promises to continue to grow. This course will provide you with the skills required to meet the needs of your international air travelers. These skills include an understanding of the two basic international faring systems, mileage and routingaswell as currency procedures, including the use of the fictitious currency, Neutral Units of Construction. You will learn to interpret all the data found in the faring and pricing information in the CRSs and as printed on international tickets. This includes international fare basis codes, base fares, taxes, surcharges, currency codes and mileage principle coding as applicable.