Thomson’s decision to start charging holidaymakers a ú10 flat fee for a return airport transfer (Travel Weekly, April 19) has stunned rival operators and agents alike.
It’s something you might have expected from the marketing department at Airtours, which constantly tries new things to keep everyone on their toes. But it’s an extraordinary move from the market leader, which to date this year has spent around ú9.5m on an advertising campaign highlighting the undoubted quality of its brand.
“Let number one look after you” says the chap on the beach – but not if you buy one of its late deals.
The rationale is simple. The company wants to earn more money from people buying late deals who are reluctant to pay more than ú149 or ú199. The policy seems to be working, as most people are prepared to pay the extra for the transfer.
This wouldn’t have happened a year ago when Thomson was privately owned, but without a sugar daddy to turn to, it must now try to maximise all revenue options.
The company also wants to try to make a distinction between late deals and brochured holidays. Thomson deputy managing director Shaun Powell, who introduced the charge, said it’s time holidaymakers got what they paid for.
There’s a sound argument for some of Thomson’s measures. Charging for kids’ clubs is fair enough because it is an add-on, like an excursion. Cutting down on baggage allowance seems a little churlish, but is just about defensible.
But I think airport transfers are an integral part of a package, and I don’t believe you can call a holiday a package if it doesn’t contain them. Of course, legally you can just offer accommodation plus flight because by law you only need two elements to make up a package.
But it’s not a package as we know it.
Thomson should either push the price up of the overall holiday or just call it something else – like Thomson hotels and flights.
It’s easy for people in the travel industry to forget how dependent most people are on being looked after when they go abroad. What’s going to happen when holidaymakers who have refused to pay for the transfer turn up and demand to go on the bus?
If families are left stranded at airports, it’s just going to play into the hands of programmes such as BBC’s Watchdog – particularly when a half-empty bus leaves holidaymakers behind.
And what about the potential damage to the Thomson brand? The company is not every agent’s cup of tea, but you can’t deny that Thomson deservedly has a reputation for offering good quality holidays.
That’s under threat when you start stripping away the quality bits of the holiday.
And it’s also very confusing for people who have been taken in by that very friendly chap on the beach who keeps saying Thomson will look after you.
I’m surprised Thomson didn’t try to divorce the late deals from the brochured holidays by branding them something like ‘Thomson Lite’ or ‘Thomson Budget’.
It’s also strange that Thomson has introduced this during a season with no warning. It smacks of desperation to pull in some extra cash during a tough period and would have been better launched as a new initiative for summer 2000.
Predictably, the move has been criticised by rivals, but they are expected to follow suit if Thomson manages to get away with it. It has also been attacked by agents who tell us that they have to deal with angry holidaymakers who pay the charges.