VIRGIN
Atlantic is to pay agents up to £40 for each return ticket sold – despite
bitter rival British Airways branding the scheme pointless.
In
a move away from giving shopping
vouchers, Sir Richard Branson’s airline has pledged to reward individual agents
in cash for any type of ticket sale.
Payments
will be paid by sector. A full-fare Upper Class ticket attracts a £20 reward;
Premium Economy £7.50 and Economy £2.50.
Virgin
general manager sales Paul Waite said: “This scheme, along with continued
commission payments, is a two-pronged attack by us as a key supporter of the
trade.”
However,
BA dismissed the incentive because it means customers would be persuaded away
from their original choice of airline.
BA
field sales general manager Ian Heywood said: “I am not sure that paying agents
an extra £20 or £30 per ticket – like Continental or Virgin – stimulates sales.
All it does is urge agents to switch customers from one carrier to another.”
Instead,
agents booking a full-fare BA ticket until December 20 will be entered into a
daily draw for tickets and a bonus prize of a pair of Club World tickets.
Virgin’s
incentive comes as Delta and Continental offer £100 and £50 in vouchers
respectively to agents booking return business-class tickets (Travel Weekly
October 15).