ASK agents for a single word to describe British Airways and most will say: “arrogant”.
As an explanation they will cite the airline’s attitude to commission, competitors and passengers.
BA’s relationship with the trade hit rock bottom after the airline decided to scrap its Performance Reward Scheme.
However, even mighty BA knows it needs all the help it can get in the current tough trading climate and plans are in place to win back trade support.
This task has fallen to new BA director of sales Dale Moss.
He acknowledges the criticism and knows it needs addressing fast.
During his short time in the UK the former BA senior vice-president sales and marketing for the US has been struck by the depth of agents’ feeling against the self-styled World’s Favourite.
Moss said: “I am concerned when I hear BA is arrogant and we have had a difficult time.
“I want to make sure our relationship with agents is very business-like and professional, but it needs to be open and honest. We may still have disagreements but there will be more understanding and maybe certain things need to be adjusted.”
He acknowledged the travel industry is going through huge changes with cost-cutting and consolidation, but warned BA had to address the issues in a responsible way.
“We are in times we have not seen before and if the changes are not properly managed we can have difficult results,” said Moss.
Part of his drive to make BA more approachable to agents will be regular invites to the trade to meet senior sales staff at the airline’s Waterside headquarters at Heathrow.
He said trials with agents will start next month to give him a first-hand opportunity to learn about the tough UK trading market.
Initially, BA’s best agents – the ones expected to be chosen to sign special agreements after PRS ends on April 1 – will be invited. Others will get the chance to grill BAexecutives at a later date.
Moss and his sales team will also be out on the road meeting agents this summer to promote BA directly to the trade. Staff will be giving BA’s premium products a strong push – Club Europe, Club World, First Class and Concorde – as they are suffering reduced sales due to harsh worldwide economic conditions.
Moss admits an improved relationship with the trade will help BA overcome its current difficulties.
The airline revealed a loss of ú75m last month for its third reporting quarter, blaming poor premium traffic figures for the results. Year-on-year figures have been disappointing. In December this lucrative market was down 3.6% and it declined 1.1% in January.
Coupled with the increased sales activity will be the ongoing initiative to get cabin staff to take on the role of sales agents by visiting smaller retailers and businesses. This campaign will be evaluated before its April deadline to see if it should be extended, said Moss.
“BA and agents can do better for each other,” said Moss. “There will not be the status quo in the future.”