p24-25 letters July3 30/6/09 17:34 Page 25
ttglive.com
letters
British Airways’ commission All travel sellers should be Why did Mystery Shopper
plan would be a winner forced to provide protection base choice on price alone?
In response to “British Airways considers In response to “Consumer clarity tops protection It was unfair to differentiate between Portland-
commission revival” (ttglive.com), BA would be review” (ttglive.com), the government should holidays and Ilkeston Co-op due to price only in
making a bold move and would get tremendous make it law that “anyone” selling travel of any last week’s Mystery Shopper (TTG June 26).
support from the trade because agents need to kind should provide the consumer with protec- Surely the information the shopper gained in
make a living. tion of their own financial failure as the princi- the Ilkeston shop was worthwhile? Why bother
BA is still the “world’s favourite airline” and pal, and inform the consumer whether what they coming in otherwise? Is it not the reason people
would regain its position in making profits for are selling is or is not financially protected. come to the high street – to use our knowledge
its shareholders. It needs to address its sales The consumer is issued with a formal and expertise? Some people still value the good
and marketing policies, as incentives only line document with their holiday invoice outlining old charm of the face-to-face sale!
the pockets of a few companies. BA has the the advice. The duty is therefore with the agent
support of their staff and will get the support and not the public, and the public “has a
Name and address supplied
from the industry. Let’s prove them wrong! choice” to protect themselves, or not.
EDITOR SAYS: Personal service is often the
Dan Lala Paul Mclean
deciding factor for our mystery shoppers.
managing director, Fast and Easy Travel director, International Passenger Protection
However, they are all genuine consumers which
means that, as in real life, some will be swayed
Ryanair’s fares make the Existing cruise customers
more than others by elements, such as brand
‘poor’ much poorer are harder to keep hold of
awareness, access to product information and
In response to “McEwan hits back at O’Leary In response to “Don’t just talk cash with cruise
price. In this case, the shopper acknowledged
attack” (ttglive.com) – good point, John! clients” (ttglive.com), the issue with discounting
the excellent service from Ilkeston, but decided
I have just checked what a “poor” family of relates to existing cruisers. For new-to-cruise
if they were to make the booking with their own
four would pay for their “cheap” flights with clients you can focus on the great benefits of
money, the lower price and deposit would be
Ryanair from Gatwick to Alicante in August with cruising against a land-based holiday and make
sufficient to encourage them to opt for Portland.
one bag each. It comes to £1,175. them see the extra value before you even get to
So, they’d be very poor after the flight! the price. Generally, they then book with you. What do you think?
But next time around, when they have expe-
Danny Crowe, marketing director, OPI Group rience of cruising, that is when they will shop Letter of the week wins a
around to get the best deal. Repeat clients are £20 iTunes voucher
Carrier’s new check-in fee the cornerstone of any business and if you have
£20
courtesy of the German
much more costly than APD to discount just to keep them going forward, National Tourist Office.
In response to “McEwan hits back at O’Leary it’s going to get more and more difficult. The deadline for letters is 10am on Tuesday.
attack” (ttglive.com), Ryanair blames the We need your name, job title and company
current downturn on everyone but itself. Tony Hammond, managing director, GoCruise address. These will be withheld on request.
No airline is immune at this moment in time. Priority is given to letters sent exclusively to
Yes, the increase in Air Passenger Duty does the Operators should be fined TTG. We reserve the right to edit letters.
industry harm, but comparing an £80 check-in for leaving us hanging Email: ttgletters@ttglive.com
airport fee (to make money) against a While we all wait for the lates rush season, why Fax: 020 7921 8033
government tax to Spain of £11 is somewhat can we still not get though to operators? Blog: Or why not have your say online?
ironic. Let Abta put forward its argument for Recently, I queued for two hours to First Write a blog at yourspace-ttglive.com
the whole of the travel industry, then judge. Choice’s wedding dept, and still no answer, and
And trust me Ryanair, the industry is close- at a 0871 premium rate. Those companies that
knit and we do not consider you to be part of it. keep us hanging on for hours should be fined.
David Jackson, operations executive officer, Gaynor Tuby
Advantage Focus Partnership personal travel advisor, Future Travel
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