Agents plan to sell more tickets for Air india to save it from bankruptcy
Agents plan to sell more tickets for Air india to save it from bankruptcy
The Maharaja is sinking and guess who is running to his rescue? The travel agents, who only a few months ago were up in arms against the national carrier, for doing away with their commission on tickets.
The biggest body of travel agents in the country, IATA Association of India, has written to all its members to stop promoting foreign carriers and sell tickets of Air India "wherever possible."
In June 2008, Air India led the way by scrapping the five per cent commission travel agents received when they booked an airline ticket. Other airlines followed suit.
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Hour of crisis
However, the agents are not holding any grudges. "It's our duty to help the airline in its hour of crisis.
We have exhorted all travel agents to support Air India," said Rajji Rai, president of the Travel Agents Association of India.
The request has been sent out to all agents affiliated with the Travel Agents Association of India, Travel Agents Federation of India and Indian Air Tour Operators, which has over 50,000 members across the country.
While IATA has 5,000 affiliated agents.
"Though Air India was the first airline to withdraw our commission, it was also the first one to restore it. It is our national pride.
If it prospers, so will we," said Tarun Yadav, director of IATA Travel Agents of India.
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The agents have also made a few suggestions to the airline and to the government. "The bilateral agreements Air India has with a number of foreign airlines are not in its favour.
These should be reviewed," said Yadav.
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Rai said, "The government should stop misusing the airline. When it can't bail it out why misuse it? The airline is overstaffed and needs to be restructured.
Non-yielding routes should be re-looked at while profitable routes should be the focus."
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