Freedom Travel Group agents are in discussions over their commission payments after their forward bookings were taken on by Hays Travel.
The UK’s largest independent agency, which has its own consortium Hays Travel Independence Group, will fulfil the 9,000 bookings – which at first appeared to have been lost after the collapse of Freedom parent company Thomas Cook.
Legally, Hays Travel is entitled to keep all the commission, but the firm said it would speak to Freedom agents to discuss the matter.
A taskforce of six Freedom agents has been set up since Cook failed, which represents 185 members of Freedom Travel Group and its homeworking division Freedom Personal Travel Advisors.
A spokesman for the taskforce said: “We are really glad that our customers have some certainty.”
More: Hays Travel appointed to fulfil Freedom Travel Group bookings
Job vacancy directory for Thomas Cook staff
But he added: “We are disappointed because we’ve made numerous attempts to reach the Hays Travel team and they haven’t returned our calls.
“It’s going to be a big financial hit to a lot of businesses and I expect there may be some doors closing as a result.”
“If Hays guarantees future commissions, John Hays will be seen as the best man in the world to us. But if not, that’s devastating.”
John Hays, managing director of Hays Travel, said: “When we do the work on behalf of the CAA, all the commission will be paid to hays Travel as part of the legal agreement, which is a standard legal agreement that the CAA has used in previous failures.
“That having been said, if individual members of the Freedom Travel Group want to talk to us about this, then we are really happy to do so.”
Hays added that he would “welcome” applications from Freedom members to join the Hays Travel Independence Group consortium. “We would be happy to speak to them,” he said.
Dozens of Freedom Travel Group members, meanwhile, are set to join Midcounties Co-Operative’s The Co-op Travel Consortium.
The group confirmed a ‘significant’ number had applied to set up new Abta numbers under its accredited body.
More: Hays Travel appointed to fulfil Freedom Travel Group bookings