Agents shocked by Costa/Ryanair deal
Shocked travel agents have expressed concerns about the tie-up between Costa Cruises and Ryanair.
The three-year deal, announced yesterday, will see the Italian cruise line featured exclusively on the airline’s website and more than 5O Ryanair routes connecting to Costa departure points.
Despite assurances from Costa UK managing director Marco Rosa that the deal would not undercut existing agency partners or take bookings from the trade, agents have questioned how the deal will impact Costa’s reputation.
“Why would anybody want to be associated with Ryanair?†asked Jeremy Scott at Leisure Fare. “What does it tell first time cruisers and repeats about the quality of Costa?â€
Steve Wade at Capita said he was worried about the effect of Ryanair flights being cancelled or delayed.
“I think Ryanair’s attitude to customer service is well documented,†he said. “It’s not too much of an issue if you end up getting to your hotel a couple of hours late, but its no use getting to the port a couple of hours late is it?â€
Other agents expressed their concerns about Ryanair’s strict baggage allowance and excess luggage charges.
“This will be interesting to see, as how long will it be before passengers realise that it is difficult to pack light for a cruise,†said Martin Owens of Instant Holidays/World Pride Travel.
But Costa is confident the deal will enhance recognition of the cruise line in the UK.
“There are a number of passengers we are missing because we are not so strong,†said Rosa.
“Our growth until 2O12 is huge and everyone is growing capacity so the whole point is finding new passengers.â€
The line, which carried 1.2 million passengers last year, has a target to carry 1.5 million by 2O1O – the equivalent to the total number of people from the UK taking cruise holidays.
What do you think of the tie-up? Send us your views by clicking on ADD A COMMENT below.
For more details of the tie-up, see earlier story ‘Costa signs deal with Ryanair’.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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