Airtours UKLGformer director of development and distribution Tony Bennett was accused of being “the cuckoo in the nest” by non-franchisee agent Paul Chandler.
Chandler told delegates it was a mistake to become franchised to the operator as they had little loyalty to independents, only to their shareholders. Bennett was responsible for developing the deal with Advantage before he left the group last month.
He said: “Tony Bennett has come in, disrupted everything and disappeared. We let the cuckoo into the nest. Independents must be protected from the large companies because they are not accountable for what they do.”
He also criticised Advantage managing director Ron Muir for his stated belief that, to the customer, ownership and independence were not a concern.