Domestic topped by Virgin Australia

strong brand recognition from travel agency customers included Cathay Pacific, Hawaiian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Thai Airways, Garuda and Air Canada. Travel agent respondents to the survey showed a preference for Virgin Australia when it came to the domestic airlines they regularly sell. Virgin also topped the domestic poll for solving customer problems and offering “competitive commissions,” although on the domestic commission front the clear winner was “none of the above”. Qantas domestic was rated as best for corporate and group travel, and agents ranked the QF domestic business class more highly than that of Virgin. Despite the expansion of Skyteam which now boasts Garuda, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Delta, Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines and Xiamen Airlines as online carriers into Australia, only 7% of respondents said they regularly sold Skyteam fare products. the airlines’ disrespect for travel agents is astounding. The airline call centres appear to be filled with barely trained staff, who are