British Airways has dismissed trade demands that scheduled airlines be brought into the Atol consumer protection scheme. BA UK head of sales Richard Tams said the carrier would oppose the imposition of protection “where it is not necessary”.
Tams told Travel Weekly: “Airlines are already submerged with taxes and charges. There is no reason to put on another charge at the point of sale for flight-only sales. We take extraordinary measures to ensure our financial stability.”
He pointed out: “[Airline association] IATA has its own mechanisms for repatriating passengers if an airline fails.”
Tams said: “It is not necessary and we would oppose adding charges to provide protection where it is not necessary. When we sell a package holiday it is protected under Atol. When modular holidays are included we will include those as well.”
He insisted: “We will lobby against extending Atol to flight only. We will be lobbying across the board.”
Abta renewed its call for protection to be extended to all flights at its convention this month. The association’s head of government affairs Luke Pollard said: “Atol reform will not be concluded until airlines are brought in. If we allow airlines to slip out of our language, we will have conceded victory.”
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) consumer protection group deputy director David Moesli told the convention that the industry has a chance of seeing “airline holidays” brought within the scheme, but he said there was no prospect of including airline sales unless Brussels acts.
Moesli said: “The CAA argued for [inclusion of] all flights from the UK five years ago, but the government said ‘no’ following skilful lobbying by the airlines.”
The Department for Transport (DfT) is poised to announce reforms to the Atol scheme that, at present, it insists will come into effect in January although it is widely expected within the trade that a delay is inevitable, the government having still to announce its final proposals following a consultation this summer.
The DfT has pledged to consider sales of airline holidays, but is poised to leave the question of flight-only sales to Europe.