Airline travel agents on 1-day strile tomorrow

A section of travel agents in the country have decided to go on a one-day strike on August 14 in prortest against the decision of several airlines to do away with paying them commissions in return for travel bookings. Airline officials have confirmed the move. State-owned unified carrier Air India, leading private carrier Jet Airways and private airline Kingfisher Airlines are among the airline that have decided to go in for a “zero commission” policy for travel agents. Air India and Kingfisher Airlines will implement this policy from November 1 inwards.

Air India, for instance, currently pays a commission of five per cent to their registered travel agensts for bookings but the payment of commision will cease from November 1 onwards

Airlines have decided to implement the new policy in the wake of heavy losses incurred on account of high aviation turbine fuel prices.

“It seems everybody has been making money except airlines. Why should travel agents be paid for doing nothing? If an airline first class ticket on a long-haul route is Rs 4 lakhs, why should an agent be paid Rs 20,000 for doing virtually nothing?” air lines asked.