DELTA Air Lines has joined the growing list of carriers that have made the call to slash BSP commissions in Australia, with the US-based airline announcing over the weekend a decision to drop its rate from 5% to 3%.
Effective from 01 Jan, the change arrives just seven months after the airline reassured Aussie travel agents that it would maintain its current 5% base commission level.
In May, Delta’s Sales Manager Australia/NZ, Nicole Bennett, told a Collette Forum in Cairns that the support the company had received from the trade was crucial during the pandemic, and that it was time “for payback”.
“This is another disappointing decision that doesn’t show the respect and reward the effort travel agents provide airlines,” AFTA CEO Dean Long said.
“With never-ending schedule changes, this reduction put out the week before Christmas is extremely disappointing.”
Delta isn’t the first to cut back on commissions, with this year also seeing Malaysian Airlines halve its rate from 4% to 2%, Singapore Airlines drop its BSP to 1%, British Airways axe rates from 5% to 1%, and Etihad also marking down its commissions to just 1%.
Going against the trend, both Air Tahiti Nui and Batik Air Malaysia have recently confirmed they will continue to pay a 5% BSP commission for agents in Australia.
