Travel Weekly webcast: Abta chief Mark Tanzer reveals association’s pri Continued from page 30


conscious of the fact there will be restrictions in place depending on the destination.” But he added: “Ultimately,


the goal is to be able to fly safely without any restrictions. “Remember, it’s all about


the virus, the spread of it, the pressure on health systems, the mutations and variants, and the vaccine efficacy on those mutations. If other countries get to the same speed and efficiency of vaccination programme as the UK and the vaccines are effective against any type of mutation, there should be little or no restrictions on travel.” Lundgren said: “This huge


knowledge now exists that wasn’t there last summer – the data on prevalence, the rate of infection, the different strains and mutations, the vaccination programme, the countries on the red list, the amber list, the green list, and we have testing and discussion about certification for vaccination. “A whole set of tools and


knowledge is available to make sure we can unwind measures in a safe way. “If rates come down,


it comes back to different governments’ points of view and whether they adopt a zero-Covid approach or, as the prime minister indicated, they look to the fact that this virus will be around and we’ll live with and manage it.” He said easyJet “can scale up”


to meet demand “with relatively short notice”, insisting: “For every day that goes by, pent-up demand increases. If we get a clear set of recommendations approved, there will be time to have a meaningful programme for summer.”


CAA and Abta review extension for issuing RCNs


Abta and the CAA are reviewing the deadline for issuing new refund credit notes (RCNs) for cancelled package bookings due to expire on March 31. The CAA and trustees of the Air


Travel Trust fund guarantee RCNs issued for cancelled flight-based package holidays and Abta guarantees those for non-flight packages. Mark Tanzer, Abta chief


executive, confirmed: “We’re both reviewing the situation. At the moment, you can issue RCNs up to the end of March with redemption by the end of September. We’re looking at the [government] roadmap and the trading situation of members and we’ll make a decision about whether or not that [deadline] is extended.” Four deadlines for issuing RCNs


have so far been set, with the initial September 30 deadline last year first extended to December 31, then to January 31 and currently to March 31. Tanzer said: “We’ll be looking at it very closely. I don’t want to


predict how it’s going to come out. It’s about how quickly we expect the market to pick up. “A lot of customers have had


cash refunds. A lot have agreed to rebook for the spring and now may be rebooking.” Abta only extended the expiry


date of RCNs for non-flight packages to September 30 on January 26. RCNs issued before the extension expire at the end of this month when a cash refund falls due. Holders of RCNs for Atol


bookings are also entitled to seek a refund at any point, but must receive cash upon expiry of the note on September 30.


Abta chief expects bond renewals to be ‘easier’


Ian Taylor


The Abta bond-renewal process this month should be “easier” than in September as “the landscape is more positive”, according to Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer. However, the benefits of any


easing of the process of securing financial arrangements compared with six months ago could be negated by increased bonding requirements for some businesses given the volume of refund credit notes (RCNs) needing financial protection. Tanzer conceded: “The


September deals were difficult. There was no sign of when the market was going to pick up at that point and financial providers were saying, ‘Where is the end of this?’” Speaking on a Travel Weekly


webcast, he said: “What is different with the March renewals is that there is good news about the vaccines,


28 11 MARCH 2021


there is the [government] roadmap and the [Global Travel] Taskforce. That gives more comfort to financial providers that they will see businesses through this period. “The landscape is more positive in


terms of having a summer season and people starting to get bookings for the summer. Cash is starting to come in and people are happy to rebook.” Tanzer argued: “We’re very aware,


as the CAA is aware, that we’ve had a year of not trading.” But he added: “Our focus is on


protecting customers’ money. That is what our bonding programme is there to do, to maintain customer confidence and comply with the law. “We have very close dialogue with


all our members about how much customer money is at risk and likely progression of risk over the coming months. Not everyone is in the same position. A lot of companies have paid refunds [to customers] so the


Mark Tanzer


bonding level may not increase. But if people have a build-up of refund credit notes outstanding, then the bond will increase to reflect that.” However, he insisted: “The


availability of bonding is easier now than it was six months ago because of the change in the landscape.”


travelweekly.co.uk


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