Cruise agent commissions on way out?
Cruise lines are becoming less and less of a partner. That makes John Frenaye writing in Travel Research Online wonder if they are headed the way of the air lines.
He cited an article where two cruise line executives “got a little defensive when questioned on the ever increasing non-commissionable fees (NCFs) and the move to a direct to consumer model.”
Said Royal Caribbean’s Vicki Freed, a longtime advocate of the travel agent:
“It is what it is. It is the portion of a cruise fare on which we don’t pay commission.”
Justin French a managing director for Carnival Cruise Lines said direct marketing was necessary for Carnival, as the line is trying to reach cruise “rookies.”
“Both positions seem to be pretty firm, and if you read between the lines, French is telling us that Carnival believes that we are not doing a good enough job; and Freed is saying that the NCF portion of our compensation should not be a concern or ours,” writes Frenaye.
There is no doubt that Vicki Freed is a friend of agents and has been for many, many years. I simply suspect that we are operating in a “new normal,” her hands may be somewhat tied, he concludes.
“Last weekend, I discovered that my consumer booking link to Carnival was not working. When you clicked on the link, it took you to a Carnival ‘page not found’ page and then encouraged you to go to Carnival’s home page and continue your surfing,” he said.
Was this a glitch? Or was this an attempt to gain some direct business from several thousand websites who have installed this link hoping to grow their Carnival business?
Other agents reported the same findings.
“Based on the actions of several cruise lines over the past year, I suggest that the cruise lines may be doing a bit of signaling themselves,” Frenaye concluded.
By David Wilkening
David
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