Edward Goodman · Jun 24, 2025 · 7:45 PM
Inbound · 06:28 · Planner: Air Department · +13015185426
“I love your guys and I love your business model. So, that's just a curiosity why is there a separate button for biking here.”
When Edward books his cruise (once he and companion decide between lines), Lauren should proactively reach out to confirm whether he wants to leverage the standalone air booking process first, or bundle air with the cruise and explore the Viking AirPlus option at that time. Offer to run a quick pricing comparison for Rome flights to demonstrate value before he commits.
Full analysis
What happened
Edward Goodman, a highly loyal multi-booking Pavlus customer, called to ask whether he could book airfare standalone through Pavlus before committing to a specific cruise line, since he and his travel companion were still deciding between options departing the same dates and city. Sheila (air department) confirmed this was possible and explained the workflow: customers can email their travel planner or the dedicated air team (AIR@) to bypass delays when a planner is busy, and Pavlus has staff available seven days a week. The conversation then pivoted to Viking-specific air options, including the difference between contracted economy/premium/business fares and the $150/person AirPlus service that grants access to Viking's air team for custom scheduling. Edward clarified his understanding of the value proposition and thanked Sheila for the background, noting he usually books air himself to capture rebates but appreciated knowing his options.
Emotional read
Customer was engaged, curious, and fundamentally positive throughout. He expressed genuine affection for Pavlus ('I love your guys and I love your business model') and asked clarifying questions in a collaborative tone rather than adversarial. He remained patient through technical jargon and process explanations, ending the call satisfied and grateful.
Emotional arc through the call
Remained consistently warm and curious throughout; no emotional shift, but his tone showed increasing confidence and comfort with the process by the end of the call as his questions were answered clearly.
How customer sees Pavlus
- positive · described Pavlus as 'your favorite people' referring to his travel planner, indicating long-standing trust and satisfaction
- positive · 'I love your guys and I love your business model' — explicit endorsement of both the agency and its approach
- positive · referenced 'six or seven bookings ahead' as evidence of repeat patronage and confidence
- neutral · noted his travel planner 'sometimes he's really busy' — practical observation about capacity, not a complaint, and he seemed satisfied with the workaround offered
Value perception
Customer values Pavlus's rebate model and sees the agency as a trusted advisor, but typically books air himself. He is curious whether Pavlus's Viking AirPlus service and dedicated air team could deliver better pricing or convenience than his independent approach, though he hasn't yet been convinced it's worth the $150/person fee on top of potential fare differentials.
Customer behaviors
loyal repeat customer seeking workflow optimization for time-sensitive bookingsresearching multiple cruise options before committing to aircomparing Pavlus airfare value against direct and independent bookingasking detailed clarifying questions about air department structure and service feesdeferring full commitment pending spouse/travel companion decision on cruise line
Topics & signals
| Topics | standalone airfare booking processtravel planner availability and workflowViking Air benefits and pricingAirPlus premium service fee structurebiking line vs general air department |
|---|---|
| Destinations | Rome |
| Cruise lines | Viking |
| Buying signals | explicitly stated 'six or seven bookings' with Pavlus as established, loyal customeractively researching trip dates and cruise options for imminent travelmentioned departing 'a couple of weeks' on upcoming trip |
| Objections | worried travel planner might be too busy to handle time-sensitive airfare requestsuncertain whether standalone air bookings are possible before cruise selectionwants to understand if air pricing through Pavlus beats direct or independent booking |
Analyzed 2026-05-27 22:04:20 by claude-haiku-4-5-20251001. Confidence 0.85.
Transcript (6,547 chars)
Agent (Extension 2165): Thank you sir calling travels travel, this is Sheila with the air department. How may I assist you today? Customer: Yeah! I had a really general question, I'm a very frequent Ablis customer and he got like six or seven bookings ahead of me now. But my question was a general one with you guys, we're looking for a, a trip and we're not sure which crews we wanna take. So we haven't made a booking yet, but the dates for the two of them are the same out of the same city. Is there a way that we can book our air through you before we actually have a cruise booking or do you only do air in conjunction with your tours or your cruise? Agent (Extension 2165): Oh, we should be able to assist you with airfare especially if you are a longtime established guest that would just initially start with your travel planner cause they do sell the flights and then their team tickets and manages them. Customer: Okay, yeah. Tell, tell me, tell me what the process is on that because I have a wonderful travel plan or one of my, your favorite people but sometimes he's really busy, so if I want to jump on a quick airfare sometimes you know, a half day you lose it. What, how, what's the process if I say here's the flight that have to send them to her, how does it work? Agent (Extension 2165): It, you know, in that situation I would send them to her but also include the, it's the same email structure as, as your travel planner instead of her name there A-I-R and our air team will also get it is she's bogged down or real busy or even out of the office. That way we'll have access to that email and we'll see that it's an urgent request to if you're like, hey, I'm seeing flights right now. That I, or I want to get this done right now. We can see that and can adjust accordingly to get somebody that can help you quicker. But it's still go back to her, of course. Customer: Okay, okay. Okay, but yeah, but the rules are that basically you guys don't do anything unless a TA does it and then they do it through you. So for example, if I called you on a Saturday, I use Lauren, when Lauren, if Lauren's off on a Saturday and you would get some travel, you would get another travel planner to authorize it on a weekend, for example, is that the way it works? Agent (Extension 2165): Yeah. Agent (Extension 2165): It exactly we have travel planers on or every single day of the week on schedules. Yes. Customer: Yeah, seven days. Customer: Right, but a Lawrence over there on weekend unless she's such a being percent ing for somebody. The other question I had for you was this is really a silly curiosity question you know I love your guys and I love your business model. So, that's just a curiosity why is there a separate button for biking here cause we have a couple of biking plan. I don't know if we want to do your error what we wanted. Agent (Extension 2165): Oh. Agent (Extension 2165): So, we actually we, and that's a great question, actually, I don't, I, I'm waiting for somebody even asking us we handle so much biking and a lot of our clients do end up adding the biking, contracted error to the booking that we have. We tried to dedicate align to that because of the volume of bookings we have it definitely is a lot greater than the independently booked airfare separate from a reservation. So, we do have a gala kind of focuses on that on the Viking. Customer: Wanted. Customer: I see, and the reason people. Customer: Okay, and the reason that you got, they do that is when people then you book the air through biking is biking off and gives super discounted a free error as a benefit, right. Agent (Extension 2165): It exactly. But we always wanna be, you're able to go through us. We can be your Les on to help service that airfare still. So, we have that separate line that goes to basically some. Our team that focuses mostly on biking. Customer: Okay, so if I wanted to do the Viking air, there's two ways to do it, right? You can do whatever they want to put you on or they can do a. Customer: Or they can do or they can do a, a, a prefer you pay a little extra for the prefer just like you do a OCN or a lot of the other ones, right? Agent (Extension 2165): Yours. Agent (Extension 2165): So they they'll offer error in economy premium or business at a contracted rate and then they offer the service of AirPlus. It's a fee to have access to the service of $150 per person and that again will be the Les on between, you don't have to wait on hold or call them but that gives us access to their air team which has a lot more capabilities in their systems to request certain flight schedules. And if it comes above that contracted air rate you've added to your booking for either economy premium or business you just pay the difference of fair but it's basically an easier way to customize. Customer: Okay, so, I can basically, hey, so I can call you for example and say, you know, help me out here, you know, we're going to Rome and it's more than you're absolute. Customer: We're going to Rome and, and can you guys work with biking a, and get a better price than you can do either in the, you guys do in your family or I can do on my own and I would ask you that question. You guys would do the research and get back to me. Is that the just of it? Agent (Extension 2165): Well, it would, it wouldn't be necessarily we wouldn't be able to tell you ahead of time if it would be a better price because they charge that 150 feet just to have access to the service and then we would, what I usually do if I have somebody with AirPlus wanting either specific schedule or airline, I request flights that come within their contracted air that's on the booking. So they don't have any fair differences to pay. Customer: Okay, and your name. Sheila. Agent (Extension 2165): My name is Sheila. Yes. Wait, Sheila and major is another gala. She works a lot with the biking air as well. Customer: Okay. Customer: Okay, this is really helpful just to know for the future I usually, I usually do my own although I do you guys with because that's the way you get rebate but but I just wonder yeah, yeah in fact I'm leaving a couple of weeks on it but anyhow okay, all good. And thanks for the background on it I appreciate it. Agent (Extension 2165): But yeah. Agent (Extension 2165): Oh, definitely. Agent (Extension 2165): Oh, my pleasure. Let us know if you have any other questions about this or our referral program or anything call us or Lauren we're here for you. Customer: Will do bye-bye. Agent (Extension 2165): I.