BRITISH
Airways has moved to silence the trade by forcing agents to seek approval from
Waterside before taking complaints to the press.
The
national carrier has inserted the gagging order in the majority of agents’
sales and marketing agreements – currently being renegotiated for the coming
year – in what is being seen by the trade as a move to clamp down on damning
stories about declining agent payments, Agency Debit Memos and switch-selling.
A London
agent, who asked not to be named, said he had already rejected his new sales
and marketing agreement. “The vast majority of agents I know will laugh
with derision at this,” he said. “I can understand BA’s desire for
confidentiality but it’s totally and utterly wrong to stop us speaking out.”
The clause
was first inserted into the sales and marketing agreements of BA’s top-selling
agents last year, but has now been rolled out to include the majority of the
400 agents with agreements.
A BA spokeswoman insisted the carrier was not denying agents
their right to air any complaints in the media. “One of the key elements
of the clause is that agents promote BA in a positive way to their staff,”
she said. “We do not believe this to be unreasonable if agents want to
work with us as a sales and marketing partner.”