THOMSON’S low-cost brand, Just, is being marketed as a new, no-frills option, forpeople who want moreindependence within a package holiday framework.
This may indeed be a new idea for acting managingdirector Shaun Powell and the rest at Thomson, but it is not a new idea for the retail travel trade. The IndependentHoliday Company has been offering a similar product through agents since 1997.
Some things never change at Thomson. It appears it is taking an existing idea, tarting it up a bit, and then relying on its agents to promote the brand. Why should free-thinking agents support Thomson when there is already an alternative,successful product in themarket, offering agents higher commission than Thomson, to sell a better product, atattractive prices? The Just product gives the impression that their customers aresecond-class citizens and will treat them as such. Just will keep its passengers separate from other customers at the back of the plane and will not offer refreshments unless they pay for them.
When a customer buys a holiday they should still expect a good standard of service, whatever they pay. Why should customers facediscrimination simply because they wish to be moreindependent when they travel
Richard Webb
Manager
The Independent Holiday Company
Ware
Hertfordshire