5 2


Runway decision to be revealed in coming week


Lee Hayhurst lee.hayhurst@travelweekly.co.uk


A long-awaited decision on airport expansion in the southeast will come next week, Downing Street confirmed.


A special committee of cabinet


ministers will choose a “preferred option” for airport expansion from two schemes at Heathrow and one at Gatwick. Heathrow remains the hot


favourite to be given the green light for a third runway despite opposition from high-profile Tories. However, a final House of Commons vote won’t take place until the winter of 2017-18. The government said ministers


with long-held opinions would be allowed to set out their views for a limited period after the preferred option is announced. A spokeswoman for the prime


minister said a range of views was expressed at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, but there was consensus on the importance of the decision for the economy.


Heathrow is the leading contender for expansion


The decision to give ministers


a limited period to voice their personal views was described as a “mature, commonsense approach”. Some MPs were said to have specific constituency issues. It was not confirmed whether Conservative MPs would be given a free vote on airport expansion when the issue is debated in the House of Commons. No London MPs and none of the key opponents sit on the committee that will choose the preferred option. Speaking at Abta’s Travel


Convention last week, chairman Noel Josephides raised the issue of the third runway at Heathrow in his closing address. He said: “The possibility of a third runway at Heathrow was first discussed in 2003. Who knows when we will have the finished product? “You only have to look around


and you will see what Abu Dhabi has achieved over the same period. I wonder, will Brexit bring to the UK a little bit of Abu Dhabi’s drive?


In our dreams.” › Talk Back, page 19 › Business, back page


Cunard nearly blows surprise


Natasha Salmon


natasha.salmon@ travelweekly.co.uk


A surprise birthday cruise booking that was almost ruined has raised concerns over suppliers who contact agents’ customers direct.


Vertical Travel Group agent Kaye Sharples booked a Cunard cruise for a long-term client who was planning secret celebrations for his mother’s 70th birthday. However, a confirmation email


was sent direct to the customer (mother) even though the agent deleted her contact details from the booking. Fortunately, the son intercepted it. Paula Nuttall, Vertical Travel


Group membership director, who described Sharples as an “experienced agent”, said the incident highlighted concerns. “At what point is it acceptable


for the supplier to engage directly with the clients without communicating to the agent first? “We want to work closely


with our operator partners but need to have visibility of direct communication, and perhaps


“It is in no way Cunard’s intention to ruin a surprise and we are really sorry”


prior to them reaching clients.” A Cunard spokesman said: “It is in no way our intention to ruin a surprise and we are really sorry this happened, but unfortunately the agent did not inform us and following the normal protocol the confirmation email went out.” However, Sharples, a


homeworker for Vertical’s Your Holiday Booking division, said she felt “undermined” and had potentially lost a loyal customer. “I removed the contact details


from the form as I was not given the option to state it was a surprise. “I then received a message from


my client saying he and his mother had an email from Cunard. He was angry as he had paid thousands of pounds for the surprise to be potentially ruined. I feel like Cunard has undermined my role.” Cunard said agents should


call 0845 374 0000 at the time of the booking to notify it of a surprise trip.


20 October 2016 travelweekly.co.uk 5 3


Agent Kaye Sharples felt ‘undermined’ by Cunard’s action


STORIES HOT


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