Ryanair may come to regret snubbing agents

Ryanair may come to regret snubbing agents

ITHAS been coming for some time, so it’s no great shock that Ryanair has finally bitten the bullet and scrapped commission payments to agents. The biggest surprise is that it’s taken this long for its feud with ABTA to finally come to a head.

But despite the low-cost carrier softening its stance over unpaid commission on Passenger Service Charges, the manner in which sales and marketing director Tim Jeans announced the move will only add fuel to the fire.

Jeans has never been known for his diplomatic skills, but using the terrorist attacks in the US as the reason for the final breach is provocative even by his standards.

It is understandable that Newman Street should adopt a ‘good riddance to bad rubbish’ approach to the no-frills carrier.

But in difficult times, agents and airlines need to work together and Ryanair may come to rue its decision to cut off a distribution channel which would have served it well in the current climate.

In the immediate aftermath of the USattacks on September 11, the airline was keen to encourage people back into the air, but it will take more than a clever ad campaign to restore confidence.

Jeans and company may come to regret their haste. Booking over the Internet might help keep overheads low, but when people need reassurance, they want face-to-face contact.

And that’s where agents come in. A computer screen just won’t cut it.