Agents urge BA to reverse flight suspension plan

Photo: British Airways

Travel agents have urged the British Airways (BA) authorities to reconsider its Dhaka-London flights suspension decision, saying the airline has a huge business opportunity here.
The Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) in a letter on November 20 written to Willie Walsh, BA chief executive officer, made the plea.
The association will also give a copy of the letter to the civil aviation ministry so it can lobby between the two governments for withdrawal of the BA decision.
ATAB also disagreed with the BA on non-profitability on the route, which has pushed the only European carrier in Bangladesh to suspend its operation from March 28 next year.
“We are disappointed to know by the local BA management that it will discontinue operating direct flights between Dhaka and London,” said ATAB President MA Muhaimin Saleh.
The airline often cannot meet all the seat demands, he said.
In the letter, Muhaimin said: “I am assuring you that we will send all your flights full even if you increase your frequency to five or seven a week from the current three.”
The BA took the flight suspension decision at a time when Bangladesh's economy was growing constantly by over 6 percent for the past consecutive three years.
BA has a big network and global image, which the travel agents believe would impact Bangladesh negatively as no other airlines have direct non-stop Dhaka-London flight.
BA's South Asia office in an announcement early this month said it would suspend Dhaka-London passenger flights from March 28, 2009 because of non-profitability on the route.
But ATAB opposed the BA's view on non-profitability and the idea that using the same aircraft on a different route would yield more profit.
“The fares are not lower but competitive, both the premium and economy cabins go full and the operational costs could be lower because of lower crew lay over and employee costs,” the letter said.
“BA has a huge demand in Bangladesh. Some 750 reservations were made in a single day after travel agents withdrew boycotting sale of BA tickets,” Muhaimin said.
ATAB boycotted BA's ticket sale at a row for 16 months from April 2007 to August 2008.
BA officials in Bangladesh also echoed the ATAB on the profitability issue.
“We have always performed better than the targets set by the BA authorities,” an employee of the airline said requesting anonymity.
He said BA had 50 percent occupancy rate even during the ATAB boycott. "Normally it is over 80 percent."
BA has 45 Bangladeshi employees, including crew, who will be given voluntary retirement if the airline sticks to its route suspension decision.
BA uses a Boeing 777 carrier for Dhaka-London route. The aircraft has 272 seats, including 212 economy, 24 world travelers plus and 36 business class seats.
According to officials, an economy class ticket (return) costs Tk 75,000-80,000, while world travelers plus Tk 100,000 and business class Tk 140,000.
BA, which has been operating flights to and from Bangladesh since mid-1970s, now runs three flights a week on Dhaka-London route.

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