p4 dec12 10/12/08 21:17 Page 4
news
12.12.2008
Cook’s stop-sell slip-up
THE COLLAPSE of Southend airport-based
Triton banks on
charter airline Flightline prompted Thomas Cook
to mistakenly stop selling through a nearby
agent that shared the same name last week.
Flightline Essex, based in Leigh-on-Sea, has
TTA membership
nothing to do with the airline Flightline, which
ran charters for businesses and groups, and went
Lee Hayhurst.
Christmas, especially as it
bust on December 3. THE FUTURE of the Triton super-consortium is must start organising its
C
But managing director Martyn Eyre said Cook hanging in the balance as the Travel Trust 2009 conference.
STO
O
VER
stopped the agency selling its products, wrongly Association weighs up an offer to join. A decision Depending on the TTA,
R
Y
thinking it had gone into administration. Cook is expected before Christmas. three outcomes are possible:
accounts for about 6% of Eyre’s turnover. TTG understands Triton has made the TTA, ■TTA joins Global and World-
A Cook spokeswoman said Flightline Essex was which bought Triton founding member World- choice as fully fledged Triton members;
put on stop-sell last week, but it was due to have choice in September, a lucrative offer to become ■TTA decides not to join but allows Worldchoice
been reactivated by yesterday. a member. to continue with its membership; and
With Advantage having left Triton, tying in ■TTA decides it does not want anything to do
Worldchoice and TTA would preserve the super- with Triton, and Worldchoice sees out its
Ryanair drops
consortium’s negotiating power and guaranteed contract before also leaving.
distribution of Triton product. Simon Hargreaves, TTA managing director,
Triton chairman Steven Freudmann said: “The confirmed Triton had made an offer.
Fuerteventura
TTA is very important as far as the future of Triton However, Worldchoice agents doubted
is concerned. I would go as far as to say that if whether the consortium would remain in Triton,
the TTA did not join, we would review the whole and supported having their own separate
RYANAIR is to scrap all its concept; but I’m very optimistic they will join.” conference reinstated.
fights to Fuerteventura Freudmann said Triton might resume central Tony Radstone, owner of Travel Corporation in
from the end of January, negotiations on commercial deals, which is Willesden, said: “We are all negotiating our own
leaving Thomson and essential for agency groups such as TTA as the deals again. Triton is dead, isn’t it?”
Thomas Cook airlines as downturn threatens third-party incomes.
the only alternative. Triton wants a decision from the TTA before ■ Atol for new members?: TTA conference, p9
The airline is stopping
flights from Birmingham,
East Midlands, Liverpool
and Stansted because it
ITT conference ‘sell-out’
said a group of busi-
nesses in Fuerteventura ITT BOSSES are expecting Conference numbers have been capped to 400
had not fulfilled commit- its annual overseas for 2009 and numbers per company restricted to
Fuerteventura: Ryanair ments to boost tourism. conference to be sold just two for the first time.
sought tourism drive However, some agents out by Christmas, despite “We had lots of complaints this year that there
believe Ryanair’s decision exchange rates hiking were too many media people and too many
to ban agents from selling its flights may have hit room rates in Dubai to people selling things,” Freudmann explained.
passenger numbers on the routes. more than £200. “Registrations have broken all records. This
Martyn Eyre, of Flightline Essex, said he was The institute’s chairman, time last year we had only 70. Normally we sell
selling up to 800 seats a week on Ryanair before Steven Freudmann, said despite out by mid-February, but the way things are
the ban on agents came in. concerns about costs, book- going we will be sold out by Christmas.”
Colin Thorne, of A1travel.com, said the move ings had reached record The level of interest suggested the cost of
would impact on forward bookings from February. levels, with 240 delegates rooms was not a problem, Freudmann added.
A spokesman for the Spanish Tourist Office already registered. When registrations opened before the pound’s
said it would wait to see if Ryanair fulfilled its recent loss of value, rooms cost £160. The ITT
threat; it had previously threatened to pull out Steven Freudmann: 240 conference takes place at the InterContinental
of Valencia but still served that airport. delegates registered Hotel in Festival City, Dubai, on June 8-10.
04 12.12.2008
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