Virgin responds to TNW report
THE headline in your previous
issue on Virgin removing
ticketing authority from agents
who have not completed
a transaction in the last
six calendar months, has
inappropriate shock value.
If you don’t read the article,
it portrays Virgin Atlantic in
a very negative way and it is
not indicative of the strong
relationship that we have built
with our travel agent partners.
The process is common
practice by airlines and affects
a very small portion of agents,
for instance businesses that
may have closed down but
did not communicate it with
the airline. In this specific
instance, only seven dormant
regional agents are impacted,
five of which no longer exist.
Also, being switched back
on is a very simple process.
Our sales team work closely
with potential agents at risk
and it’s a very consultative
process with both parties
to reach an agreement. If
there are any concerns we
encourage agencies to speak
to us.
Darrin Thomas
Manager Marketing and
Communications South Africa
Ed’s note: TNW did ask
VS for comment but as this
letter explains, the story did
not give full context. This
resulted in the headline
being unfair, for which we
apologise.
