British Airways/ Comair, the South African franchise holder of British Airways (BA), would continue to pay travel agents a 7 percent commission for selling its tickets when SAA ceased to do so on May 1, it announced yesterday.
Rival domestic airline Nationwide has already announced its intention to continue paying the commission.
Both Nationwide and Comair expect to benefit from increased sales next month, when travel agents will offer packages including car hire and accommodation to justify charging a fee for SAA tickets and discourage travellers from booking online.
No-frills airline kulula.com, which has been paying a lower fixed rate commission of R28.50 a sector, will raise this to R40 and aims to do 30 percent of its business through travel agents.
Stuart Cochrane, the executive sales and marketing manager of BA/Comair, said yesterday that between 80 percent and 85 percent of its sales were through travel agents and this relationship was likely to "stand us in good stead for years to come".
No-frills airline 1Time has never paid agents any commission and does not intend to do so. But Glenn Orsmond, its chief executive, said 10 percent of its sales were through travel agents who charged customers a fee.
"This is consumer driven," Orsmond explained. "Customers ask the agents for the cheapest fare, and are well informed about comparative fares."
BA internationally sells an estimated 80 percent of tickets directly online and has abolished agents' commissions in the UK and some other parts of the world. But it has been paying a 7 percent commission in South Africa.
Stephen Forbes, its spokesperson in this country, said South Africa had lagged behind the worldwide trend for customers to book online or buy packages from agents. However, BA would reduce travel agents' commissions from 7 percent to 1 percent in June, causing them to charge customers a fee.
Most other foreign airlines, including Lufthansa and Air France, are expected to do the same in line with recommendations by the International Air Transport Association.