Business Breakfast took place at Manchester airport last month. ok, was supported by
Icelolly.com and El Al. Robin Searle reports
Experts split on when eco issues will be key to bookings
Speakers urged travel companies to promote their sustainable credentials even if the subject was not yet front of mind for many customers. Designer Travel’s Amanda
Mathews said: “We book 18,500 passengers a year and I don’t think I’ve ever been asked outright about it, but just because it isn’t part of the decision-making process for a lot of customers, that doesn’t mean you can forget about it. We include information and try to communicate ways to promote sustainable practices when you are overseas.” If Only’s Andy Freeth said
“social conscience is changing”, but added he thought it could be up to 20 years before sustainability was a
key driver in booking decisions. However, Brad Miller of
Manchester airport said the tipping point would come “much sooner”, and
Icelolly.com’s Richard Singer said the industry needed to be proactive as it was “easy to pick on”. “When you see a social media
post, the first comments are oſten about sustainability,” he said. “I think there will more and more pressure on the travel industry so it needs to be clear on its position.”
Andy Freeth
BUSINESS NEWS
Manchester airport’s Miller tips turnaround in service standards
Te executive overseeing the day-to- day running of Manchester airport said he was confident that operational and customer service issues were being overcome. Chief operations officer Brad
Miller admited there had been issues around surface access, infrastructure and performance, which had subsequently impacted staff morale. But he said the ongoing expansion
and renovation of Terminal 2 would help to alleviate the challenges. “Terminal 2 can’t come quick
enough,” he said. “We are restricted by ageing infrastructure. “Te board recognised five or
six years ago that our customer satisfaction scores were plateauing or declining, and the transformation
Brad Miller
project was brought in to address that.” He added: “With this level of
unprecedented change there is a hiatus period and we recognise that this puts everyone under pressure and does have an impact on staff morale. “We have introduced a number
of measures this year to address that, and 1,800 colleagues have been through customer service training.”
New-entrant rules ‘absolute joke’
Designer Travel managing director Amanda Mathews renewed her criticism of unbonded agents and companies that offer non-agents the opportunity to sell travel with very litle training or experience – citing them as one of the greatest challenges facing traditional sellers. Mathews said the current system not only put consumers at risk but could also harm young people who might be tempted by the opportunity offered by companies to “get rich quick” by selling travel to friends and family. “It’s an absolute joke,” she said.
“Businesses are being allowed to trade with official Abta approval – you can be a mechanic from Monday to Friday and a travel agent on a Saturday. “Twelve years ago you couldn’t
be a homeworker unless you had two years of retail experience, and
travelweekly.co.uk
“Social media is flooded by so-called agents giving established travel agents a bad reputation”
that ensured that people entering the business had a basic understanding of being a travel agent.” She added: “Now social media
is flooded by so-called agents giving established travel agents a bad reputation as they don’t understand the product or how to properly service the customer.” If Only’s Andy Freeth said he
would “never say never” to working with a particular company but said the operator had decided not to develop a commercial relationship
with InteleTravel, which was granted Abta membership in March. He said: “Until we can see these
businesses are more established and we are sure of their credibility, we have a responsibility to people like Amanda and her business to focus on those relationships.” He added: “I’m not going to rule
it out for ever, so if in five years they do a lot of training and whitle down their numbers to an ‘elite force’ who can represent our holidays in the right way, then we would consider our options.”
Icelolly.com’s Richard Singer
said he was looking to develop more relationships with agents but said: “We currently work with tour operators and household-brand OTAs. We are looking to develop our partnerships but it isn’t in our plan to work with this sort of company.”
10 OCTOBER 2019
Amanda Matthews
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PICTURES: Steve Dunlop
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