Advantage to axe 11 staff

Advantage Travel Centres plans to make 11 staff redundant as it looks to make “efficiences”. The independent travel agents’ consortium has started talks with the staff involved and is to enter into an two-week consultation period over the redundancies. That would mean the job losses being confirmed just prior to the start of the annual Advantage conference on 22-26 April, being held this year in Kuala Kumpur, Malaysia. A spokesman declined to say which employees had been targeted for redundancy but it is believed that sales development roles are amongst those under threat. It is also thought that marketing department roles are involved in redundancy talks. The spokesman, confirming that the redundancy consultation process was underway, said: “It has been widely reported that Advantage is moving away from a consortium model to a much more full profit organisation. This process is part of that.” He said the body was looking to make effiencies as part of the planned changes but said it was not “100% certain” that all 11 staff earmarked for redundancy would lose their jobs. An Advantage agent, who declined to be named, told TravelMole: “What is disappointing is that there was not a proper communication to members about this.” Report by Phil Davies