Qantas will cut travel agency commission on international tickets from 5% to 1% as part of continuing cost-savings measures across the Australian airline.
It said: “The change won’t take effect until July 2022, giving time for the industry to adapt. Travel agents remain an important partner and Qantas will work them on broader revenue opportunities, particularly through technology.”
The announcement came in a market update, in which Qantas forecast a full-year loss before tax of more than AU$2 billion (£1.1 billion).
It reported a “sustained domestic recovery” but revised expectations for the return of a significant level of international flying from end-October 2021 to late December 2021.
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Other cost-saving plans include a two-year wage freeze and voluntary redundancy offers to international cabin crew.
Alan Joyce, Qantas Group chief executive, said: “We’ve adjusted our expectations for when international borders will start opening based on the government’s new timeline, but our fundamental assumption remains the same – that once the national vaccine rollout is effectively complete, Australia can and should open up. That’s why we have aligned the date for international flights restarting in earnest with a successful vaccination programme.
“No one wants to lose the tremendous success we’ve had at managing Covid but rolling out the vaccine totally changes the equation.
“The risk then flips to Australia being left behind when countries like the US and UK are getting back to normal.
“Australia has to put the same intensity into the vaccine rollout as we’ve put on lockdowns and restrictions, because only then will we have the confidence to open up.”