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ASTA the winner here
When Northwest Airlines rescinded its proposed new ticket-booking charges after an industry uproar, the clear winner was travel agents, according to Richard M. Copland, president and CEO of the American Society of Travel Agents.
“This victory was driven by a unified industry that came together to communicate a shared set of values and ideas,” he said. He added:
“We showed that the travel agent is still a critical part of travel distribution.”
Northwest Airlines’ announced it was rescinding its decision to charge travel agents $7.50 roundtrip or $3.75 one-way for bookings made in through GDS’s for travel within the US.
Mr Copland said the move also reflected support from the GDS systems, “who told our story loud and clear to everyone who would listen, and also to the airlines who chose not to pursue the ‘shared fees’ idea.”
Others who lobbied against the changes included the Business Travel Coalition.
“This success is a clear example of what a unified industry can achieve,” said Mr Copland.
Added Bruce Bishins, president of Genesis:
“The Northwest GDS fee sharing plan and its quick demise proved one thing — travel agencies and the systems which power them are a formidable marriage of salesmanship and technology, an essential alliance which the world’s mainline carriers simply cannot afford to eliminate.”
Report by David Wilkening
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