Big response to Travel Weekly’s campaign against The Sun

Travel Weekly has received a massive response from travel agents to our campaign against The Sun’s demand for prices during the school holidays to be slashed.

Travel agents who responded to our petition last week have said summer bargains can still be found.

By sourcing the accommodation and flights separately and putting them together for customers rather than booking a straightforward package through a tour operator – described in the trade as dynamic packaging – travel agents are convinced they can still find holidaymakers the deals they want.

In response to The Sun’s campaign demanding ABTA intervenes to bring down prices, Travel Weekly asked the industry to sign a petition urging the newspaper to tell its readers the real facts about why prices are higher during school holidays.

The Sun’s campaign came after a High Court ruling said parents who take their children out of school without permission are breaking the law.

Many agents said they hear complaints from customers that prices are too high in school holidays. Most believe ABTA can’t do anything about it and say agents can beat brochure prices by dynamic packaging.

Just Go senior sales clerk Pat Pearson said: “If you dynamically package, you can get bargain flights.”

Michelle Holehouse, assistant manager at Travelcare in Leigh, Lancashire, agreed. “The answer is to dynamically package and look at different durations and airports,” she said.

Franco Renzulli, senior consultant at Top Class Travel in Marple, Cheshire, said: “It’s something we are never going to get away from. It’s not agents’ fault, but it’s always us who get the flak.”

Midconsort chief executive Charles Eftichiou said reduced capacity has pushed up prices. “People would not like it if the airlines and hotels only operated during July and August,” he said.

Cosmos sales director Andy Washington said: “We are not overcharging. It’s not the tour operator putting up costs, but the airlines and the hoteliers. We are passing them on to consumers. We have to maximise our margins while the demand is there.”