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Virgin denies £10 web discount is bad news for agents
Virgin Atlantic general manager of sales Paul Wait (right) has denied that the £10 online booking discount introduced by the airline on Thursday (May 10) is a “direct sell tactic.”
Mr Wait said that the £10 per passenger discount – which applies to one way as well as return fares – is a promotional offer to attract attention to the carrier’s revamped website and to encourage customers who are already booking direct using the airline’s call centre to book via the internet instead.
He told TravelMole: “Our call centres have been inundated and some calls have had to be abandoned. It is not a direct sell tactic. It’s really appealing to people that want to surf the internet at 10pm at night. Nothing has changed as far as the trade is concerned.”
Mr Wait added that he did not know how long the discount would be in place for. It applies to all fares and destinations booked online departing from the UK and is available to both adults and children aged two years and over.
Virgin Atlantic chief executive Steve Ridgway said: “We want our customers to benefit from using our website and the £10 discount – twice that of BA’s – will offer them the opportunity to purchase an even more competitive fare. The new improved website which offers improved ease of use and speed has generated a massive increase in visitors to the site since its launch in March.”
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