Emirates has announced that its evacuation (repatriation) fares will be offered nett from September 1, with agent referral fees no longer applying.
The airline distributed a notification to agents to this effect on August 31, where it also advised agents that only South African nationals departing for work, study and residency purposes, and foreign nationals holding the necessary clearances, were eligible to travel on its evacuation flights.
“Emirates has been one of the only major carriers to offer referral fees to agents for repatriation flights during this period. The referral fees were welcomed within our industry and gave us the momentum to start booking again after months without income. We are saddened by the airline’s decision to remove this incentive, in line with other European carriers’ policies, as these fees have been a lifeline to our industry during this time,” said director of XL International Travels, Marco Tomasicchio.
Md of Sure Voyager Travel, Janet Aldworth, agreed that removal of the referral fees from the market was disappointing.
“Repatriation flights are complicated and time-consuming to book. Surely the involvement of agents to assist clients with this process has been helpful to Emirates during this time? One must also ask why the airlines do not understand that it is in their best interests to keep their distribution channels in business during this time, as they will be needed to fast-track their post-COVID recovery,” said Janet who also asked whether the referral fees would be passed back to the clients with the introduction of cheaper fares or pocketed by the airlines as additional profit.
Another agent source, who did not wish to be named, said she understood that Emirates was redistributing the funds previously allocated to agent referrals to consortiums as incentive payments. “This practice does not benefit the client or the consultant, as agents will now need to mark up the flights to earn service fees, making the cost of repatriation even higher,” said the agent.
Club Travel’s supply manager, Sharon Schierhout¸ confirmed to Travel News that Club Travel was in negotiations with Emirates about an alternative remuneration scheme for its partners.
“An alternative scheme has been decided on and we are happy to still support Emirates with its repatriation initiatives, as the flights are loaded into our head office’s GDS system, making the flights easier to book and confirm on behalf of our partners,” said Sharon.
Travel News contacted Emirates for further comment on the decision to remove referral fees but had not heard back at time of publication.
