‘Trade seeing significant shift to managed model’


Juliet Dennis


The trade is witnessing a “significant” shift post-Covid towards the managed service travel agency model, according to Abta chairman Alistair Rowland. Rowland said more agencies are


joining the largest and most powerful groups offering this model to tap into their commercial terms, merchant services, bonding rates and Atol. The model frees up agents to


concentrate on sales while back- office administration, including supplier payments, is run by the parent. Customer monies are usually ringfenced in a trust. Several brands offer managed


service models, including Hays Travel Independence Group, Brilliant Travel (Barrhead), Midcounties’ The Co-operative Travel Consortium and Advantage Managed Services (AMS). Rowland stressed a reduction in


Abta members was not necessarily down to “members going bust or leaving Abta” but instead reflected a move to managed service models, in which members trade under the parent company’s Abta number. In 2019, there were 1,106 Abta


members, counted by head offices rather than branches. In 2021, there were 928.


Alistair Rowland


Rowland said: “A big part of the


reduction in overall Abta members is a move by independent agents to join a more powerful parent. Both new and established agents are moving to the managed service model.” The Advantage Travel Partnership


reported a clear shift, with about 85% of new members wanting to join AMS. Of Advantage’s 600 branches, about 75 are AMS, with two to three joining per month. Leisure director Kelly Cookes


said: “I can see a time when it’s level or overtakes the number of traditional members.” In the past, managed services was often seen as a model for new


Virgin to resume Cape Town link from Heathrow in November


Virgin Atlantic is to resume its Heathrow-Cape Town service, suspended during the pandemic, on November 5. A three-class Boeing 787-9 will be deployed on the route, with return fares starting at £711 in economy class. Elsewhere, the airline has dropped its plans to operate a winter 2022-23 service from Edinburgh to Bridgetown, Barbados.


6 26 MAY 2022


businesses or members, she said. She said: “Prior to Covid,


agencies would not have highlighted they were in this model, but they are now because of the trust account.” Current problems such as


recruitment and administration were making managed services more attractive, she added. Hays Travel IG also reported


a “significant spike in interest” during the pandemic, and said “this hasn’t slowed down yet”. Head Natasha Marson said newcomers sought “peace of mind, security and, in some cases, financial support”, while established agents wanted the benefits of Hays’ commercial deals.


Royal charters Belfast flights to board Wonder in Barcelona


Royal Caribbean International has chartered seats with British Airways to fly passengers


from Belfast City airport to Barcelona to board Wonder of the Seas this summer. Customers with bookings on the world’s largest passenger ship will be able to fly direct from Belfast to the Spanish port from July 3 until September 28.


Cookes urges trade to ‘work together to find solutions’


The Advantage Travel Partnership leisure director Kelly Cookes has joined calls for agents and operators to work in partnership to find solutions to resourcing challenges and avoid “finger-pointing”. Cookes issued a statement


following calls from other agency leaders including Travel Village Group chief executive Phil Nuttall to avoid abuse of operators for poor performance, which he argued would only exacerbate issues. In an open letter, Cookes


said: “We know the challenges. People have left the industry, unemployment numbers are low, people want more flexibility, and we are not attracting new talent due to the image the industry currently portrays. So, what’s the solution? “For me the answer is relatively


straightforward, but it won’t be achieved overnight and in isolation of each other. We [must] work together to find solutions. “Yes, there are long call wait


times in some cases. But all of the conversations my team and I have with suppliers tell me that they are working as quickly as possible to address these by bringing in and training


more staff.” i Read the letter in full on T


ravel Weekly’s website


Passport staff cite ‘low morale and creaking IT’ for delays


Passport Office staff have reportedly warned in private that “rock-bottom morale” and “creaking” IT threaten to extend a backlog of 500,000 applications. On Saturday, The Times said it had obtained a cache of 263 internal messages from officials in which staff claimed their systems were struggling to cope and were not “fit for purpose”.


travelweekly.co.uk Kelly Cookes


PICTURE: Sarah Lucy Brown


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