p34-35 air oct3 30/9/08 18:03 Page 34
Air
Chris Gray
020 7921 8003
cgray@ttglive.com
For the latest news about flights, airlines and airports, visit
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British Airways led the move
Interview Adam Daniels, British Airways
to zero commission in the
UK airline industry but its
relationship with the trade is
now warming again, led, in
part, by UK sales general
BA bids to revive
manager Adam Daniels.
Chris Gray reports
trade relationship
BRITISH Airways aims to improve its “We are making changes to how we distribute
relations with agents by making more fares. We will continue to make it more
use of electronic distribution of fare automated and less manual by using Cat35 and
information direct to GDS systems. ATP Code systems that send data direct to the
Head of leisure sales Adam Daniels agent,” he said.
(left) said the move was one of several Daniels said BA was also ready to negotiate
projects aimed at improving the carrier’s special rates for agents who had good deals on
service to the trade, which accounts for hotels in certain destinations and needed a good
half of BA’s leisure sales. air fare to create a package that would sell.
BA also plans to offer more special “Trade partners say they are getting lots of
rates for agents to use in their own calls but find it more difficult to convert, and that
packages, and cut waiting times on its will continue as economic conditions do not
agents’ phone number. improve. We all need to work harder,” he said.
“If our trade partners have particular opportu-
Closer relationships nities and we have space available, we will work
Several agents had asked BA to make more closely with them.”
use of Cat35 and ATP code systems that Agents have repeatedly complained about the
distribute net fares direct to an agent’s GDS. cost of using BA’s trade phone line but Daniels
The systems are intended to save agents said there was no question of reducing the rates.
time by cutting out the need to manually input A recent survey by the company had shown
fare rules, routeings and conditions, and cut the 75% of calls to the line could have been
chance of an agent making a costly mistake. answered through
ba.com or a GDS.
If fewer of those agents whose queries could
be answered by other means called the line,
CV Adam Daniels
those who had a real need would not wait as long.
“We have got some work to do to help travel
agents understand that there are other ways to
April 2006: BA leisure sales general answer their queries,” said Daniels.
manager for the UK and Ireland “Our objective is to decrease the number of
1992-2006: Joined BA in customer services calls to make sure that for the people who do
in Terminal 1. Ran the development need to call it we can answer them quickly.”
portfolio for the newly-formed e-commerce
division in 2000 and then moved to running Fear of failures
call centres globally Daniels believes the economic downturn could
1990-91: Spent a year in Australia after lead to BA selling more through the trade, as
graduating from Durham University agents are telling him customers are becoming
Family: Adam is married with two young more choosy about whom they fly with.
children and lives in London “What the trade is saying to us is that people
are starting to get interested in who they are
34 03.10.2008
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