ADVANTAGE Travel Centres has been forced to delay the New Year’s Day launch of its business travel agents consortium after members and suppliers voiced concerns.
The group, to be called Focus 2000, has been set up to negotiate improved deals with airline and hotel suppliers on behalf of select members, as exclusively revealed in Travel Weekly August 9.
But potential members are said to be unhappy that Advantage is drawing up a code of conduct to ensure new recruits are serious and committed to the policies before joining.
Some of the airlines that Focus 2000 wants to negotiate special deals with have also expressed reservations.
Criteria for Advantage members joining include generating at least £1m a year in airline revenue and electronically submitting their Bank Settlement Plan returns to Advantage every two weeks.
It is understood that some members would be reluctant to divulge such sensitive information.
Advantage’s business travel development manager Norman Gage admitted that airlines had also expressed concern about the new group.
“Airlines were concerned about another commercial body to negotiate with and they also want to know which travel agents are involved,” he said. “But carriers are now getting warmer to the idea.”
He added:”We have a business plan in place but are now in the process of drawing up the commitment agreement which will need approval by Advantage’s business travel panel before being sent out to members.”
The agreement is expected to be circulated within weeks but Focus 2000 will not be officially set up until well into the new year.
Gage wants to lure around 40 business travel agents with a combined turnover of £200m, out of the body’s 920 members, into the Focus 2000 group.
“We want to make sure that when Focus 2000 launches, it is watertight, meaningful, full of substance and that members stick to the spirit of the agreement,” said Gage.
“We would expect agents that sign to abide by their existing airline agreements which they have entered into and not to renege on them just as they have signed an improved deal through Focus 2000.”