Travelocity issued a release officially announcing their VIP customer program. The benefits are:
- Special customer service line with ‘seasoned agents specifically educated in VIP benefits’
Bonus points for Travelocity bookings made with the Travelocity co-branded credit card.
Discounts, especially on “GoodBuy” hotels
They claim to offer a first of its kind program, though of course Orbitz and Expedia already have VIP programs (and I assume Travelocity did as well — I only know about the Expedia and Orbitz programs from first-hand experience). Those programs offer special dedicated customer service lines which I’ve found to (1) not be outsourced abroad, thus providing well-spoken English (2) to be answered quite quickly (3) to be staffed with agents empowered to solve problems more easily than standard agents.
What appears to be different about the Travelocity program is that it’s published and there’s a clear, current effort behind it.
- Customers need only five qualified bookings in a 12-month period to become a VIP, which can add up very quickly through Travelocity’s program.
I’m an Orbitz and Expedia VIP but I have no idea what their criteria is, nor have I been marketed to as such in quite awhile. It only takes 5 bookings a year to hit VIP with Travelocity, which doesn’t strike me as a lot. I have over 200 Expedia bookings (granted, in perhaps 8 years) and just a litle less with Orbitz. Maybe Travelocity will offer a status match?