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New SPAA boss vows to keep up high street fight
Andrew McQuarrie
Alan Glen, the incoming president of the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association (SPAA), has vowed to fight for the interests of the high street in the face of competition from online giants, while warning politicians against treating retailers like “cash cows”. The owner of agency Glen Travel,
who takes over from Barrhead Travel chief Jacqueline Dobson this week, said politicians “lack the appetite” to place a greater tax burden on multinational corporations. “The high street has been pillaged
by companies such as Amazon who have taken over in the retail sector,” he added. He said many retail businesses,
including those in the travel sector, continue to struggle with the level of employers’ national insurance, which was increased in April. “It’s a taxation on employment,”
he said. “How many more people would be employed if that money was available to the companies [instead of being paid to the government]?” He added: “Looking at the high
street and its demise, I’ll be banging that drum quite hard as part of my remit because I think in some ways we’ve been viewed as cash cows that
Alan Glen
[the government] can keep taking from, rather than giving to.” Other priorities will include
campaigning against direct taxes on the travel sector, including the Scottish government’s proposed cruise levy, as well as pushing for greater airlift. He welcomed the addition of
more transatlantic services during Dobson’s tenure and highlighted ongoing efforts to boost links with London. “That’s something we’re working
on with British Airways, because that has suffered quite a bit – the Gatwick services in particular,” he said. On the outlook for 2026, he
said demand appears “quite strong”
UK air passenger numbers on track to top 300m for first time
The CAA is preparing for UK aviation’s “busiest Christmas in history” after a record summer. The authority predicts total UK airport passenger numbers could exceed 300 million for the first time this year. Last year, 295 million passengers flew through UK airports, with 22 million flying in December.
8 4 DECEMBER 2025
Jacqueline Dobson
and pointed to the long-haul and cruise sectors as among those performing well. “It seems to be buoyant, as long as
we don’t get anything [unwelcome] thrown our way,” he said. Dobson described reaching the
end of her term as “bittersweet”, hailing a “really good two years”. She cited the introduction of a new course at City of Glasgow College designed to help people move into the sector, with another achievement being the creation of supplier groups aimed at gathering advice to improve agent relations. She also highlighted lobbying efforts intended to “raise the profile” of the industry.
Swift action averts big disruption
due to Airbus software problem Airlines managed to avoid mass disruption to flights over the weekend by rapidly repairing a software glitch that affected thousands of Airbus A320 aircraft worldwide. UK airlines worked “swiftly and closely” with airports overnight on Friday to carry out the software update to the “vast majority” of the relevant aircraft, confirmed the CAA.
Agent partners with skincare firm for eco travel kit
A travel agent has teamed up with an eco-friendly skincare company to market a sustainable ‘Travel Right Kit’ to clients. Newbury-based homeworking
agency Nickson Travel is working with local online company Posy to create the “flight-friendly” kit containing natural products and sustainable materials, promoted as a festive gift for travellers. Owner and travel consultant
Annika Nickson said her goal was to encourage clients to travel more responsibly rather than make a profit. The £35 kit comes in a pouch
and includes natural deodorant, shampoo and conditioner bars, hand and body lotion, lip balm, a reusable washcloth and a bamboo straw with a coconut brush, and is promoted with the tagline ‘All of the pampering, none of the guilt’. Nickson, who tested the kit while
on trips to Tahiti and Svalbard, said: “When I met [Posy founder] Dale Campbell and heard about her sustainable, plastic-free products, it made sense to collaborate with another local business. “We’ve both got
a similar ethos – to reduce the amount of plastic people use at home or take on holiday.”
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Annika Nickson
CORRECTION
An article in last week’s Travel Weekly with the headline ‘Stuba pays tribute to former BDM Joanna Muir’ featured an incorrect photograph. Travel Weekly would like to sincerely apologise for the error, which has been corrected in the digital format of the November 27 edition.
travelweekly.co.uk
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