THE collapse of Duo will help emphasise the dangers of
“do-it-yourself” bookings to the public, the trade claims.
About 52,000 fares have been booked with the carrier
for travel to the end of September, leaving passengers £100 out of pocket on
average, say administrators Deloitte.
But that figure does not take into account ancillaries
passengers may have booked, such as car hire or accommodation.
ABTA president and Travelscene sales
director John Harding claimed Duo’s demise came at an “appropriate moment” as
the Government is due to review holidaymakers’ financial protection.
Harding, who famously claimed a low-cost carrier
needed to go bust to prompt the Government into action last year (Travel Weekly
May 26), said: “This should only increase the Government’s resolve to bring
scheduled airlines into the ATOL regulations. If customers haven’t been hit by
this, operators will have been.”
Travelscene had to rearrange flights for 12 customers
booked on Duo as part of its Tlc brand.
Association of Independent Tour Operators chairman Martin
Garland said: “The Duo fiasco shows the costly downside of DIY bookings,
whether for holidays or other purposes. People are attracted by cheap lead-in
prices, but the end result can be anything but cheap.”
Cresta said several hundred of its customers were
affected by Duo’s collapse.
Sales and marketing director Jane Williams said: “It
would be nice to think this would act as a wake-up call to travellers who are
in blissful ignorance about the lack of protection when they book travel and
accommodation separately.”
The Air Transport Users Council warned the aviation
price war would force other airlines out of business, with holidaymakers
unaware of the dangers of booking less financially secure airlines.
But ABTA chief executive Ian
Reynolds thought the collapse would not hamper demand for DIY holidays. “This
will underline the importance of financial protection, particularly in the
Midlands,” he said. “But it’s not a big enough collapse for the whole country
to take note.”