Fair Deal campaign calls off plans for BA boycott

Report by John Lavabre

THE FAIR Deal for Travel Agents’ campaign has decided not to boycott British Airways in the run-up to St Valentine’s Day.

Campaigners opposed to BA’s plan to abolish commission payments in April had suggested agents boycott BA next week. The idea behind the protest was to show agents had ‘fallen out of love with BA’ (Travel Weekly December 11).

Manchester-based Pole Travel assistant manager Jill Waite, who has spearheaded the Fair Deal campaign, said: “The boycott was never a confirmed thing. Everyone has got to sell BA flights, I do not think anyone goes out of their way to push them. People must do what is best for their business.”

Despite this lack of support, campaigners are encouraging agents to fax their protests to European competition commissioner Mario Monti. Peake and Waite, along with Chertsey-based Scheduled Air director David Hall, believe BA could be acting uncompetitively by imposing zero commission on UK agents while continuing to pay commission to their European counterparts.