Global Travel Group said it had received a high level of enquiries from members of other consortia concerned about the new Flight‑Plus regulations, which kick in on April 30.
Speaking at Global’s annual conference in Chester, managing director Dave Clayton claimed some agents outside Global were worried their consortium had not confirmed how to arrange protection for members under the new scheme.
Global already holds an Atol for members and is likely to become an Accredited Body pending confirmation from the Civil Aviation Authority.
He said: “We have had a lot of enquiries from Abta members asking what we are doing to comply with the new Atol regulations. Certain Abta members are worried. Many people did the same as Travel Republic. They won’t be able to do that any more.
“Other consortia have chosen not to go down the Accredited Body route. There are a lot of people waiting in the wings to see what Abta does. We’ve had enquiries, and we won’t be turning people away.”
However, Clayton insisted Global would not be actively recruiting new members. He said membership had remained at a steady 500 over the past year, with two or three new members each month and others retiring or moving on to other ventures.
Global will also crack down on agents from other consortia that sell Triton Rooms product using Global’s Atol licence. About 30% of sales of Triton Rooms come from agents outside Global.
“Under the new regulations, only our members will be able to use our Atol,” added Clayton. “Agents from other consortia won’t be able to ride on the back of it.”