IAAI OPPOSES IMPLEMENTATION

“Like in the case zero commission, we have repeatedly cautioned the travel fraternity as well as the members of APJC, the dangers of migrating to Resolution 818g from the current 810i on 1st June 2011 and weekly payment system from September 2011,’ IAAI said in a press statement accusing the Agency Programme Joint Council-India (APJC) for taking a unilateral decision. “As far back as May 2010, we had pointed out to IATA, DGCA and other authorities the various irregularities committed by the APJC besides the ineffectiveness of the Members representing the travel agents therein (vide our letter dated 11 May 2010). Even this has been ignored. The consequence, with feeble or no protest from our APJC members, the airlines are doing what they want, without consultation, concurrence or approval from concerned quarters or authorities,” IAAI said. Airlines, with the passive support of APJC, are bound to implement weekly payment system which would wipe out 70 percent of ordinary agents, the association stated. According to IAAI, all our pleadings have fallen on deaf ears and as per the circulars issued by TAAI and TAFI, the implementation of Resolution 818g & ‘Weekly Payment System’ are inevitable and unchallengeable. In a letter to the Director-General of Civil Aviation, the association said APJC-India and some foreign carriers were hurriedly seeking a migration to assume arbitrary control over the commission payable to travel agents. “The intention of these airlines is to assume total and arbitrary control over the remuneration payable to travel agents by circumventing the DGCA order. These airlines illegally implemented TAP (Ticketing Authority Process – allowing airlines to appoint their own favoured agents) and the present move to introduce ‘weekly payment system from September 2011 is nothing but a pressure tactics against the travel agents,” IAAI said in its missive to DGCA. According to IAAI, the weekly payment system will not be suitable under the present Indian conditions and hence a commonly acceptable payment system/module along with a suitable financial guarantee criteria should be formulated exclusively for India with general consensus of Indian travel trade. The IAAI also sought a revamp of the APJC with equitable representation of all the three national travel agents’ associations. It said it had a right to be heard before such steps are taken. The IAAI had been opposed to APJC for the latter’s alleged pro-airline and anti-agent stance