Worth reading: Do Iata and the airlines have no shame?
Travel News received this letter from Allan Wolman, who has 30 years in the retail travel business and is ceo of XL Rosebank Travel.
Reading Travel News (last Friday, August 21), I felt there were no words to express the injustice of Iata and the system under which our industry is governed. Or, as Otto de Vries of Asata says, “the one-sided nature of the agency programme, which does not protect the agents from potential airline failureand ADM abuse”.
And talking of ADM abuse, our agency received two ADMs for ‘churning’ from an airline that refuses to pay refund monies using the excuse that it doesn’t have the cash available. But it sees fit to issue ADMs for such minor infringements. It’s unconscionable that an airline can behave in such a manner – do they have no shame?
The CEO of Iata has reiterated on the official website as well as in his blog, just how financially stressed the airlines are and at the same time appeals to the agent community to “understand and assist” by providing customers with vouchers in lieu of cash refunds.
One needs to question the value of that voucher and the sincerity of the issuing airline to honour the paper. And at what value at the time of redemption?
Therefore, Iata flouts its very own resolutions using COVID-19 as an excuse, but sees fit to hold agents to the letter of its rules, by demanding adherence to its financial criteria. This is not only one- sided, but must be unconstitutional in common law.
As Otto says, there are many airlines operating in South Africa who are not accepting the EasyPay option offered by Iata. How many of those airlines have refused to refund clients for paid-up tickets? Yet it’s business as usual, as long as it’s as Iata dictates.
Just how long is such a model sustainable? Given the turmoil in the industry I predict a substantial swing back to travel agents who have provided invaluable service to their clients.
But do Iata and the airlines see this?
Allan Wolman, XL Rosebank Travel
