Brussels, 20/12/2001 (Agence Europe) - In the months following the attacks of 11 September, travel agents in most European countries have registered an average cancellation rate of 30%. The Group of National Travel Agents & Tour Operators (ECTAA) within the EU, however, pointed out during their half-yearly congress in Athens at the end of November, that the most serious aspect of the crisis could probably be overcome. They did, nonetheless, refer to the number of bankruptcies that had occurred in different countries and more that were certainly to follow. In a press release, ECTAA indicated that in Germany they were expecting the number of travel agents to fall by 10% over the next six months and in Italy, the number of personnel losing their jobs could reach 16% by the end of the year.
Travel agents claimed that the worrying situation in which the airline industry found itself confirmed the need for better cover for air passengers in the case of airlines going under. They also pointed out that their profession was obliged to provide guarantees in order to obtain an International Air Transport Association licence, which wasn't the case for the airlines. Passengers who by package tour tickets are protected by European legislation but those who only buy the plane ticket are not.
The ECTAA press release indicated that for more than two years it had been working on developing a cover plan that ought to offer comprehensive protection in the event of an airline or travel agent going out of business. It also indicated that the majority of European airline companies had unfortunately voted against the passenger protection cover plan, which meant that it would only be implemented in 9 Member States, including Germany and the United Kingdom. ECTAA stated that discussions should resume shortly in an effort to define either a voluntary agreement on the plan or the basis for legislation on the issue.