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AI in the Travel and Tourism Industry – Current Applications | Emerj

A UK government decision on whether to suspend the consumer refund rules of the Package Travel Regulations is not expected until next week.

The decision by the Department for Business (BEIS) remains in the balance following a meeting of Abta, the CAA and officials of BEIS and the Department for Transport (DfT) on Thursday.

Travel Weekly understands this is likely to have marked the final discussion on the issue.

ABTA has warned the government of “mass failures” and “an industry-wide collapse” if the PTR requirement to refund consumers for cancelled bookings within 14 days is adhered to.

A decision is urgent, not least because Tuesday, March 31 will mark 14 days since the UK Foreign Office advised against all overseas travel – triggering immediate cancellation of more than two million protected bookings.

The total value of refunds owed has not been made public, but Travel Weekly has been told “it’s a colossal number” which threatens wholesale insolvencies.

The government is aware this would deprive most consumers of early refunds and leave the DfT to pick up the bill as the CAA and Air Travel Trust (ATT) which underwrites Atol consumer financial protection is still dealing with the failure of Thomas Cook last September.

The Cook collapse cost the ATT £481 million and the government an additional £156 million, the UK’s National Audit Office revealed last week, with the final bill still to be assessed.

Abta wants a suspension of the legal requirement to refund consumers in full within 14 days of cancellation, requiring a temporary change to the PTRs.

The association and the CAA have been urging the DfT and BEIS to act for a fortnight.

Abta has partially taken the matter into its own hands, advising members to delay refunds and issue ‘refund credit notes’ on ATOL-protected bookings, initially up to July 31.

It wants BEIS, which oversees the PTRs, to make this legal and the DfT – which oversees the ATOL scheme – to confirm protection for the delayed refunds should travel businesses go bust.

Travel Weekly understands government ministers and officials are concerned delaying refunds “is not good news for consumers”.

An industry source said: “They get this [proposed refund credit note] regime will deliver refunds more quickly to people but are worried about how to explain it to consumers.”

Concern that the EU may react to a breach of European rules is also troubling officials despite Britain leaving the EU. All EU regulation remains in force until at least the end of the year.

The source suggested: “The very fact Abta is still in detailed discussions with the government on this is positive.

“Officials understand this is not the industry bleating or crying wolf, but it is a difficult decision for them. Abta is trying to pull off a balancing act.”

The source suggested: “The DfT knows Abta is not over-egging it. They saw how much flak the government took over Thomas Cook.”

The problem is also set to grow worse. The initial Foreign Office advice against all non-essential travel was for 30 days. More bookings will be cancelled as the advice period is extended, adding to the sums to be refunded.

The source said: “The pressure is going to build as time goes on. It’s a rolling problem.”

Abta has said it will stand behind the refund credit notes as a guarantor up to July 31. But for the delayed refunds to work, the DfT [through the CAA] needs to stand behind refund credit notes issued for Atol bookings.

The source noted: “It will only work if Abta and the CAA underwrite it. The CAA is in an invidious position, but it’s not in its interests to have the industry destabilised.”

If BEIS does not modify the PTRs, Abta would “have no choice” but to proceed in advising members to delay cash refunds and provide refund credit notes in their place.

Abta has also asked the government to insist airlines return to refunding customers or their agents for cancelled flights as part of any aid provided to carriers.

It said: “Government-funded assistance should be directed as a priority to the payment of refunds to trade intermediaries and the consumer.”

The CAA is responsible for enforcing the rules on airline refunds under EU Regulation 261 on air passenger rights.

The source said: “The CAA is trying to get action by the airlines by consensus first. The CAA and DfT are working with the same airlines to try to get people home and that is the priority.”

Triton would have stopped cruise cuts, says Freudmann

By Lee Hayhurst

The recent cuts to cruise commission would never had happened if the old consortium superpower Triton had still been around, according to its former chairman.

Steve Freudmann, also a former Abta president and now ITT chairman and chief executive, said the now defunct Triton would have acted as a powerful force in opposing the cuts.

The super-consortium was formed by Advantage, Worldchoice and Global in the wake of Tui’s decision to cut commission to 7%, announced at the Abta Travel Convention in Marrakesh in 2009.

Tui eventually had to reverse its decision, but the group fell apart acrimoniously due to what was described as a clash of personalities within the Triton board.

Speaking to Travel Weekly on Wednesday during filming ahead of this year’s annual Barclays Corporate Travel Forum, Freudmann said:

“Had Triton still been in existence the reduction in cruise commission would not have taken place and we would not have seen some of the problems we have seen in recent years.

“Unfortunately it [Triton] fell apart due to personality clashes around the board table.”

Reflecting on the Triton era this week after he announced his retirement from Advantage, John McEwan said there were ideological differences of opinion.

“Triton did not work for different reasons. There were differences of opinion in how to lead things.

“George Begg (the Global owner) was clearly interested in optimising performance of the company for himself.”

Freudmann accepted Begg did have personal commercial motivations for making Triton a success but that these were shared by the entire membership.

“George was trying to maximise the value of his company but to do that he had to maximise the benefit for all of the members that formed part of the overall company.

“Yes, it would benefit George, he owned the thing, but ultimately we all had the same interests at heart but we could never see eye to eye.”

In the aftermath of the Triton fall out Global’s Australian owner Stella Travel Services was linked with buyouts for Worldchoice and Advantage, which unlike Global were both owned by their agent members.

However, The Travel Trust Association swooped for Worldchoice and the deal was finalised in October 2008 as Advantage officially left Triton. McEwan was chairman of Triton at the time.

McEwan said: “We [Advantage] have had approaches along the way but when I evaluated those offers with the board we came to the conclusion that there was insufficient value available to make it attractive for each member.

“It was felt we were in a position of strength. We were already the largest consortium by some distance. Members were really happy with what they were getting at the time and a one-off cheque for their shares was quite transient.”

Both McEwan and Freeudmann agreed that since the Triton days the consortia have become far less cut throat in terms of competing against each other and have developed in different ways.

“When I came in you had three groups all vying with each other for members. There was not the gap then that there is today.

“We have become different, we have a much more diverse mix of members. Global has a different model and Worldchoice has been subsumed in to the TTA. It retains its brand but the closure of the Peterborough office is a real break with the past.

“Advantage has a powerful corporate travel membership and in lesisure we have got a much different mix. We have all the big players in the UK like Barrhead and Dawson and Sanderson and we have lots of individual location members as well.

“Other consortia have large members but by and large the majority are smaller retail members.”

Freudmann said the consortia no longer see each other as major competitors. “They see the independence of the consumer as being their biggest challenge rather than the guy across the road [other consortium] because the guy across the road is having the same problems and challenges.”