bmi offers seven per cent commission to agents

Vyas Sivanand - Mumbai

Ravi Pikle Commercial Development Manager, bmi

Taking the unconventional route, British Mid-lands (bmi), UK's second largest full service scheduled airline, has gone ahead offering seven per cent commission to travel agents instead of the current five percent.

According to Ravi Pikle, bmi's commercial development manager, "We believe that the travel agent plays a very crucial role in the entire process. We feel that as a carrier which has established itself on the market place, we need to build relationships."

bmi also has plans to have daily flights from Heathrow to Mumbai from April 2006. "We will be increasing the frequency and the fares will not be affected as it depends completely on market conditions and seasonality," said Pikle. bmi currently operates 1,700 flights a week and has a fleet of 41 jet aircraft.