CONTINENTAL Airlines has eliminated the base commission paid to travel agents selling their tickets.
The airline’s decision caused panic among travel agents in the Northern Marianas because the base commission they get from international and domestic carriers for selling air tickets is their main source of income.
Last Wednesday night, the travel agents agreed to impose a 5 percent charge on passengers to recoup the potential income that they would lose due to Continental’s new policy.
However, they said that passengers could buy their tickets from Continental to avoid paying the 5 percent extra charge.
“This new (Continental) policy would kill us. We just have to do something to survive,” a travel agent who requested not to be identified said.
On March 19, Continental issued a statement announcing the elimination of base commissions paid to travel agents for tickets sold in the United States, including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
Other affected areas include Canada, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands.
Marianas Visitors Authority officials were not available for comment yesterday.
