BRITISH Airways’ decision to fine agents £25 for issuing a ticket on departure instead of an electronic ticket has been severely criticised by the business travel community.
Richard Furness, managing director of business travel agency MSWGroup, said:”Aticket on departure is a single reservation which is very easy and straightforward to make.
“Yet the talk is that BAis prepared to pay us only £5 for a transaction, which is a lot more complex and can involve some cancellations before the booking is right. This is absolutely ridiculous.
“At the end of the day, the client will have to pay the £25. We will pass the fine on to them.”
The Travel Company joint managing director David Whittaker said:”Clients want TODs. We employ people at Heathrow and Gatwick specifically for that purpose.”
Ian Allan Travel chairman Paul Allan said:”Is BAseriously saying that if a passenger telephones the airline directly to book a first-class ticket and that he or she wants to pick it up at the airport, that BA will fine the client £25?
“The figure that is being banded around about how much BA will pay us to make a booking is nothing like £25 a ticket.
“BA has said that it wants to make it penal to deter people from clogging up the BAticket desk at the airport on a Monday morning.”