BRITISH Airways will unveil details of a new-look Performance Reward Scheme to ABTA on Friday.
BA’s head of UK and Ireland sales, Dan Brewin, said pressure from agents had led BA to bring forward its announcement from the beginning of next month to this month for the April relaunch of PRS.
Other BA meetings are due with agents early next week.
Brewin refused to give details of the new package until agents had been briefed. He denied talks had been held between BA and other members of the global Oneworld partnership to draw up a new system.
“There are no discussions with other carriers about PRS and no links with Oneworld. We have no plans for joint sales teams,” he said.
ABTA chief executive Ian Reynolds said BA was expected to outline details of the PRS relaunch and also discuss its position on separating the passenger service charge from the fare (Travel Weekly December 16).
Agents are hoping the new PRS will make it easier for them to earn 9% commission payments, which was the previous basic rate before BA cut it to 7% on January 1 1998.
However, Advantage Travel Centres business travel development manager Norman Gage fears BA may match other European carriers and slash commissions to 5%.
He is inviting BA to brief Advantage business travel members on PRS at UK-wide meetings between February 16-18.
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