The Hindu Business Line : Agents threaten to stop selling AI tickets on commission issue

THE Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) on Wednesday hinted at not selling any tickets of Air India unless the airline revoked its decision to lower the commission payable to travel agents from the existing 7 per cent to 5 per cent.

"We have not got any official communication from the airline as yet on lowering the commission although it has been told to us verbally. We are not averse to change but we need to see the environment in which we work," the TAAI President, Mr Balbir S. Mayal, said at a press conference. The airline has indicated that it plans to reduce the commission payable to travel agents to 5 per cent from April this year.

TAAI officials said that a clear strategy on what needs to be done would be worked out when the official circular is issued. "Last time we stopped selling tickets of the German airline Lufthansa when they said that the commission to agents will be cut back. Of course we can do the same again," Mr Mayal said. The Association has a membership of more than 2,000 travel agents across the country.

A TAFI spokesman said though the agents were not looking at boycotting airlines that cut back on commission, the "motivation" to sell tickets of such airlines would be "less."

In a statement the two bodies have said that any attempt to reduce the commission below the seven per cent level would sound the death knell for thousands of travel agencies and take away the livelihood of over 4 lakh employees.

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