Comm cuts go mainstream

THE travel industry is being urged to read and comment on a story about airline commission cuts in The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald today, with the aim of further raising awareness.

The report cites Encounter Travel’s Justine Waddington, after an SMH writer picked up a media release she distributed relating to reductions to agent remuneration and soaring complaints about airline customer service.

The 01 Jul commission cuts “come amid travel chaos,” the report states, also quoting Kylee Ellerton from Ballarat’s Frank Ford Travel warning airline customer service teams will be under extra pressure from clients who book direct due to being deterred by travel agency service fees.

“Without us, they’re going to get busier and busier and there’s going to be no customer service whatsoever,” Ellerton said.

“Why are we going to bend over backwards and help them out when we’re not getting paid by the airlines?” she added.

The report also quotes an AFTA spokesperson saying it was disappointing some carriers had wound back commissions, but commended others still paying commission such as Qatar Airways, Delta Air Lines, Air Canada and more which “continue to take a shared approach with travel agents and businesses in supporting travellers”.

The topical issue of airline service this week saw the newspapers’ Traveller section publish a special page dedicated to “reader correspondence about Qantas” after being inundated with complaints about the carrier.

See today’s articles online at smh.com.au and theage.com.au.