AGENTS have welcomed British Airways’ decision to
ditch the overnight-stay rule on short-haul fares, claiming it will make
back-to-back ticketing redundant.
The airline has ditched the rule in an overhaul of
European fares that has also seen prices slashed by up to 80% on 42 routes in a
bid to win back customers from budget carriers.
Back-to-back tickets – where two return tickets are
bought, but only one leg of each is actually used – are favoured by business
travellers who want to get a cheap midweek fare but only do so if they stay at
their destination on a Saturday night.
Chris Morris, managing director of
Stoke-on-Trent-based Wayte Bros, said the move will simplify agents’ jobs.
He said: “The Saturday-night rule has always been hard
to explain to clients and has led to the rise of back-to-back ticketing, which
is expensive and time consuming.”
Bromley-based Invicta Travel managing director Peter
Gregory said: “The new structure is much more straightforward. Back-to-back
ticketing is a hindrance.”
ABTA aviation board director Sandy MacPherson said the
move would not hit agents’ revenues because of BA’s decision to scrap
commission in favour of sector payments. Under the new structure, a midweek
return flight to Paris starts at £69, instead of £298. Passengers will also be
able to mix ticket classes to get the cheapest fare.
BA head of UK and Ireland sales Tiffany Hall said the
fare structure would enable agents to offer a wider array of products to
customers.
She also hinted that the airline is planning to launch
a high-profile advertising campaign to market the fares against low-cost
carriers.
EasyJet and Ryanair were both unimpressed. An EasyJet
spokesman said: “You can only have a low-cost fare if you have a low-cost model
and BA certainly hasn’t got that.”