No need to insure air tickets, says council
There is no need to extend coverage of the travel trade's compensation fund to airline tickets for the time being, Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung Yao-chung said.
It would only impose an extra levy and raise ticket prices by about 1 per cent, he said.
Mr Tung said resources would be better used educating travellers on the risk involved in purchasing air tickets if travel agents went bust.
The council will meet the Consumer Council and airlines this month to discuss the issue.
'The risk to consumers is minimal as you usually get the airline ticket immediately once you pay the travel agent,' Mr Tung said.
A Travel Industry Council study was conducted on the feasibility of extending the fund's coverage to airline tickets.
The fund was established to provide up to 90 per cent compensation for fares paid on tour packages, but excludes air tickets. Travel agents contribute 0.3 per cent of tours' value to the fund.
Separately, Hong Kong Disneyland is confident it can accommodate guests wishing to enter the theme park tomorrow despite 14,000 tickets, or roughly half its capacity, being snapped up by consumer products exporter Li & Fung.
The day has been designated as a date-specific day, which means holders of date-specific tickets are guaranteed entry to the park.
A spokeswoman said it was designated date-specific before January 3, when the flexible ticketing system was launched, and the travel industry was aware of the situation.
Online ticket sales for tomorrow have been blocked off.
Were it not for Li & Fung's bulk purchase, Wednesday would be a regular day with no restrictions.
The theme park said that, space permitting, walk-in visitors could continue to buy tickets on the day and holders of flexible tickets could exchange them for tickets valid for the day.
