p2 Contents Nov13 11/11/09 20:30 Page 2
CAA should admit
defeat and create a
news
workable solution
CONSERVATIVE estimates put the cost of the CAA’s
failed prosecution of Travel Republic at £2 million.
If you assume it spent around the same fighting
Abta in the High Court and Court of Appeal, that’s
£4 million of public money spent trying to impose a
law that’s well past its sell-by date.
And with the prospect of another lengthy and
costly appeal, that sum might well continue to go up.
this week
Isn’t it time the CAA admitted defeat and got
on with the job of coming up with a regulatory
framework that actually stands up in a court of law?
A received wisdom among many observers in the es
industry is that the CAA will not be overly concerned
eatur
F
e
x
about losing. They will take this loss to the
/R
a
y
government and use it to force change – though,
needless to say, there is no unanimity about the
K
en McK
direction things appear to be going.
The so-called “flights plus” option that the
Butlins has the X Factor
government will consult on is seen in some quarters This weekend former X Factor finalist Lucie Jones will swap singing in front of
as just a way of avoiding the real problem of the Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell for an audience of 5,000 Butlins guests, as she
absence of regulation of scheduled airlines. takes to the stage at Butlins Minehead. Fresh from her controversial eviction
Fundamentally, the absolution of Travel Republic is last Sunday, Lucie is starring alongside boyband McFly for three nights.
a victory for travel agents, even if it does not herald
a particularly positive outlook for consumers. Freedom Direct. Bed banks.
The judge’s 22-page statement could not have CAA to face a new case? p4 Youtravel’s Abta rethink p9
been written in clearer language: a layman’s Former Freedom Direct Holidays Youtravel said it could return to
interpretation of the law, at times maybe a little over- boss Martin Jones was taking legal Abta if the association found a way
simplistic, but the honest judgment of someone advice this week about a potential of providing cover for bed banks
applying ordinary common sense to a problem. claim against the CAA, whose
No doubt clever lawyers will be able to pull his insistence the agency obtained an WTM 2009.
arguments to pieces. To date they are the only Atol he blames for its collapse News from the show p10
winners out of this dispute. Peter Stewart, Travel Lastminute boss predicts casualties
Republic boss Kane Pirie’s lawyer, who has also Consumer protection. in the online travel agency sector.
represented Abta, would presumably be only CAA defeat shakes model p5 Plus, lots more exhibition news
too happy to take on the CAA again. Although this week’s CAA v Travel
But there comes a time when a Republic judgment effectively lifts Air.
decision needs to be made about stifling regulatory restrictions on SAS looks at seat sales p25
whether a case ought to be pursued in start-up travel firms, it threatens Scandinavian airline SAS may start
the wider public interest. the basis of consumer protection asking business travel agencies to
As was pointed out in court, take allocations of seats in the
Travel Republic actually has in Payments. same way as tour operators
place a form of insurance- Tui pipeline plan on hold p6
based protection. Tui Travel is to defer plans to ttgluxury seminar.
Could this be the future, change its terms that would have Tips for the luxury sector p26
with government involve- required customers to pay in full Trends, marketing messages and
ment limited to the one 12 weeks out rather then eight the drive for experiences in this
thing that really worries round-up of the ttgluxury seminar
it – repatriation? Text service.
TTG unveils advert tool p7 REGULARS.
New text message service allows Comment p20
TTG readers to request information Operators p22
Lee Hayhurst News Editor about advertisers that sign up for Air p25
a free GOTXT facility Letters p32
02 13.11.2009
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