Travel agents anxious over commission cut

Mumbai: Calcutta High Court, which ordered status quo on reduction of agents commission from 5% to zero by airlines, will hear the matter on November 3
With less than a week left for the zero commission regime for travel agents to take off, the agents across the country, who heaved a sigh of relief after the Calcutta High Court ordered a status quo in the matter, are as hopeful as apprehensive.
The agents in the city, which is India’s major international gateway, too remain an apprehensive lot as they wait anxiously for November 3, when the matter would come up for hearing at the high court.
Three of the country’s biggest air carriers namely Jet Airways, the National Aviation Company of India (NACIL) that runs Air India and Indian, and Kingfisher airlines had earlier deferred the implementation of cut in agents’ commission, from five to zero per cent, from October 1 to November 1 this year. The airlines had asked agents to instead charge passengers for providing them with ticketing and other services.
Meanwhile, the High Court’s directive came after an agent from the Travel Agents’ Federation of India (TAFI) challenged the airlines’ decision of zero cut regime earlier this month.
An agent from TAFI, on condition of anonymity, also said that the NACIL had tried to move the holiday court twice to get the stay order vacated but to no avail.
27/10/08 Shashank Shekhar/Mumbai Newsline

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Oct 2008