I WOULD like to reassure Brendan Maguire of Quartz Travel (Travel Weekly January 31) that British Airways Holidays does not expect agents to work for nothing.
We decided to introduce a standard £35 per couple fee for golf holidays in July last year and wrote to all agents advising them of the change.
The golf market has altered significantly over the past 18 months with a growth in specialist direct-sell product. As a result, prices have fallen, setting the benchmark for the golf-holiday product.
To remain competitive, BA Holidays was no longer in a position to pay standard commission with golf because the only way to cover the cost was to increase the price paid by the golfer. The £35 fee was our solution. We are now able to price our product more competitively and continue to offer customers the choice to book through agents.
I object to the accusation that we do not support the trade. Recently we invested a large sum advertising in the national press, actively driving customers to their travel agent with a 10% discount offer. BA Holidays continues to value agent support, but that doesn’t necessarily mean status quo in commercial arrangements forever.
Colin Whaley
Head of sales and marketing
British Airways Holidays
Crawley