| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 17/04/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 5 |
| Copyright: Other |
Presentation incites anger from crowd
SOME agents were spoiling for a fight with the man they saw as an apologist for British Airways.“This is a very emotional subject as BA has put our businesses at risk,” one agent declared during the seminar.
Another accused BA of bringing Canadian Nolan Burris to the UK in order to vindicate its decision to abolish commission by telling agents that every airline will do the same.
The agent claimed he was getting 11% from Virgin Atlantic and denied that would ever change.
He was also angry when Burris said the days when agents were needed just to read global distribution system codes were gone as the Internet allows anyone to book travel.
Agents should not sell themselves as booking machines but offer expertise, Burris argued. But his comments were met with heckling by the disgruntled agent and a hail of expletives.
Finally Burris suggested that he should leave if he was not prepared to listen, to great applause from the rest of the audience. He disappeared at lunchtime and failed to return for the afternoon session.