IT WAS with much interest and amusement that I read British Airways’ latest cost cutting measures include reducing the airline into two divisions; short-haul andlong-haul (Travel WeeklyFebruary 24).
Many of your readers will be old enough to remember ‘the good old days’ of BEA and BOAC – so what changes?
No doubt one day in the future, a BA manager who is presently at school will decide how easy it would be for the airline to shed millions in overhead costs by paying a commission, based on fare value, to a third party international reservations and ticketing network! This network could be licensed by the International Air Transport Association and managed a national trade association.
I also see that BA blamed its ú75m loss on tough worldwide trading conditions.
One would think that after all the commission savings and benefits from the lowest-ever world oil prices, it would be easy to make money.
Obviously switch selling works – even if nobody from BA cares to admit it.
Colin Silver
New Generation Travel
Barnet
Herts