ABTA board member and St Andrews Travel managing
director Andrew Dickson is rounding up fellow travel agents for
crunch talks over future working relations with
operators.
Dickson is planning a meeting after Easter with the heads of
agency groups to take a fresh look at the agent-supplier
relationship and where remuneration should kick in.
The initiative will tackle problems faced by agents over
undercutting and client poaching by operators (Travel Weekly March
4). Dickson believes an agent is due commission if they offer
advice on behalf of an operator, even if the client books
direct.
“We need to rethink the time when remuneration applies. The
basic relationship we have with operators is failing to recognise
agents’ work.”
He did not rule out a collective boycott of individual
operators.
Co-operative Travel Trading Group said it strongly supported
Dickson’s campaign.
Independent Options business development director Sue Foxall
said operators were acting more like predators than partners.
“Andrew Dickson is pushing for agents to be rewarded for what they
are doing, and that’s got to be the right thing to do.”
Advantage MD John McEwan said the consortium would be happy to
join any discussion.