Every Seat Safe: Tui, Cook and Abta bosses back campaign

Industry heavyweights have lined up to support Travel Weekly’s campaign demanding an assurance that airlines will be brought into the Atol scheme.

We launched our Every Seat Safe campaign last week ahead of the government consultation on flight-plus Atol reform, which could start as early as Monday, although observers do not expect it to be launched until later this month.

At the Institute of Travel and Tourism conference in Venice this week, some of the biggest names in travel backed our demand.

Abta chairman John McEwan said: “Unlike the previous government, we have very strong evidence from the Department for Transport that it would consider bringing the airlines into the Atol scheme. The challenge is how we get our message across to government.”

Thomas Cook chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa said: “We welcome Every Seat Safe. We need clarity for consumers and at the moment the customer has not got a chance.”

But Fontenla-Novoa said consumer protection regulations had to be “fully and robustly enforced” with tighter scrutiny of accounts “before and after companies join the Atol scheme”.

Tui Travel chief executive Peter Long also supported the campaign. “We get hacked off subsidising badly financed companies where people get protection and we pick up the bill. The regulator has to ensure that does not happen.”

Our Every Seat Safe campaign is also seeking to encourage people in the industry to respond to the consultation.

Hays Travel managing director John Hays said: “I will make sure everyone at Hays Travel and the Independence Group signs up to Every Seat Safe and takes part in the consultation.”