Customer Experience Travel Consultant

Cathlin Collins Smith

Remote Travel Consultant Profile

***********@***.*** • 919-***-****

linkedin.com/in/cathlin-smith-21081184 • Raleigh, NC

Seasoned travel and customer experience professional with 15+ years of excellence delivering seamless, high-value service in the airline and hospitality industry. Known for handling complex escalations with poise, empathy, and authority, ensuring swift resolutions that uphold brand reputation and client trust. Adept at navigating global travel systems, coordinating across departments, and implementing process improvements that enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction. Trusted advisor to peers and leadership alike, valued for operational insight, training expertise, and the ability to turn challenges into opportunities for improvement and growth.

Areas of Expertise

Travel Operations Management

Complex Issue Resolution

Customer Experience Optimization

Airline Reservations Systems

Ticketing & Refund Processing

Cross-Functional Coordination

Escalation Handling & Mediation

Quality Assurance & Accuracy

Global Distribution Systems (GDS)

Performance Coaching/Mentorship

Technology Testing & Validation

Service Recovery Excellence

Professional Experience

American Airlines, Remote 2013 – Present

Escalation Reservations Agent

Serve as the final point of contact for complex customer escalations, leveraging expert judgment, cross-functional coordination, and advanced problem-solving to deliver swift, policy-aligned resolutions. Support Frontline agents in real time to successfully complete challenging reservations, cancellations, or service modifications, ensuring compliance with airline policies and operational accuracy. Coordinate across multiple internal departments, including Ticketing, Refunds, and Technical Support to troubleshoot system errors, process adjustments, and execute policy exceptions.

Resolved complex customer issues by managing escalated interactions requiring advanced problem-solving, diplomacy, and authority to ensure customer satisfaction and brand integrity.

Investigated and mediated interdepartmental and partner airline issues, providing timely resolutions that minimized disruption and maintained strong collaborative relationships.

Implemented advanced system fixes and refund processes to expedite customer resolutions while reducing call handling time and preventing repeat escalations.

Supported continuous process improvement by identifying recurring operational gaps, recommending solutions, and mentoring new agents on best practices in customer experience and escalation management.

Additional Experience

Alpha Tester / Frontline Agent – Instructor Team American Airlines, Cary, NC

Evaluated and validated new reservation technologies and system upgrades prior to company-wide rollout, ensuring functionality, user-friendliness, and alignment with operational requirements.

Identified and reported software bugs, interface inefficiencies, and process gaps, collaborating with IT and development teams to enhance system reliability and agent performance.

Contributed to smoother technology launches by providing detailed feedback, improving training materials, and reducing post-deployment disruptions.

Collaborated with management and quality teams to identify training needs, standardize processes, and uphold superior customer service standards.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH

Technical Proficiencies

MS Office Suite – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook Windows Mac OS AWS l AACORN

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