p2 contents Feb19 17/2/10 20:53 Page 2
We applaud Aito for
acting now to level
news
the playing field
TOUR OPERATING staff have to be many things:
travel advisors, accountants, even rescuers if airlines
fail. But trading standards officers?
It’s not a role the likes of Noel Josephides or Derek
Moore would have envisaged playing when they
went into the industry, but this is what they have
become.
Their call for the industry to shop rogue traders
this week
has made them amateur enforcement officials
attempting to ensure the Package Travel Directive is
followed by everyone, as well as Aito members.
In an ideal world it is not something they should
have to contemplate doing, but the pressure on local
authority budgets has made it tougher for trading
standards officers to carry out all of their duties – in-
cluding enforcing the PTD on behalf of the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
With a public spending clampdown coming on the
other side of the general election, that pressure is
Rosie helps Hays celebrate 30 years
only going to get worse. Hays Travel’s John Hays and Paula Hartland present nine-year-old Rosie Smith
So it’s good to see that rather than sitting back with her prize – six football tickets to watch Sunderland play Birmingham –
and moaning about the need for a level playing field, after she designed the winning plaque to commemorate Hays’ 30th anniversary.
and the lack of anybody enforcing it, Aito is doing
something itself to try to make it happen. Long-haul routes. Cruise.
Air France regional attack p9 Costa Red Sea cruises p20
Cause for concern over BA tie-up Air France has stepped up its drive Costa Cruises boss Marco Rosa
Any agent who does transatlantic business with to boost traffic from regional believes accessibility and year-
British Airways or American Airlines should be a bit airports, as it this week becomes round sun will ensure the success
concerned over the tie-up between the two carriers. the first airline to operate the of the line’s Red Sea cruises in 2011
Agents have been knocking on BA’s door asking Airbus A380 superjumbo to Africa
for more of a dialogue with the airline and for more Air.
favourable treatment, but just as they try to get a Trade relations. Manchester fights back p22
foot in it, the US government decides to allow BA to fix Let’s talk, agents urge BA p11 Airport boss Andrew Cornish on
prices with its oneworld partner. Agents are calling on BA to meet battling the snow, spearheading
A glance at any booking system will them as a group to find ways of new security measures, adding
often show that fares on rival carriers working more constructively routes, and how he plans to work
on the same day are already pretty together more closely with the trade
identical, because airlines adjust
them almost hour by hour. Business travel . Operators.
However, different airlines do offer Beware ‘Memo’ fines p12 UK adventure debut p26
trade incentives now and then, Amadeus has warned agents that US-based tour operator Off the
and one result of this tie-up, airlines are employing people to Beaten Path is planning to launch
which means that BA and AA trawl through bookings looking its first programme from the UK
will, on four US routes, have for mistakes for which they can and offer agents commission
between 62% and 100% of charge a penalty fee
the market from Heathrow,
could be that these become City & Finance. REGULARS.
less frequent. Cook to boost mid-haul p14 Business travel p12
Thomas Cook is experiencing a gap Comment p16
Chris Gray
in profit margin between long and Cruise p18
News Editor
medium-haul as high as 15% and Air p22
expects the difference to widen Operators p26
even further Letters p30
02 19.02.2010
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