BY ERNEST BLUM
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - A Uniglobe agent here launched what he hopes will become a national grassroots campaign to force congressional action on what he deems "an airline industry out of control."
The latest commission cuts were the last straw for Lawton Roberts, owner of Uniglobe Country Place Travel, Inc. in this Atlanta suburb. Well before the cuts, he was vexed about airline policies regarding consumers and agencies.
Roberts compiled a 20 - page document detailing eight grievances with airline consumer policies and a number of other indictments of airline policies regarding agents.
Those grievances include trade hot buttons such as back-to-back ticketing and debit memos, and public issues such as overbooking and the difficulty of redeeming frequent flyer miles.
The agent is seeking a sweeping reregulation of the airline industry. However, while some issues such as levels of competition, or lack of it, at hub cities already are of interest to regulators, previous proposals for government intervention in airline management decisions typically have gone nowhere.
Nevertheless, Roberts has sent his passionately argued "white paper" to trade and consumer publications, television networks, congressional leaders, federal regulatory agencies, state attorneys general - and to travel agents via e-mail.
The paper, entitled "Profile of an Airline Industry Out of Control and Its Adverse Impact on Consumers and Travel Agencies," also was published on Robert's Web site: http://www.countryplace.com which, he said, have had 5,000 hits since the material was inserted a month ago.
The agent said he has spent about $1,000 of his own funds on the campaign.
Roberts, who has been an agent since 1985, said he also will write a pamphlet specifically for consumers, to be published over the Internet before the end of the year.
After that, he said, he wants to expand his arguments into a book.
Meanwhile, Roberts said he hopes travel agents will download his initial document and distribute it to their clients.
Asked to comment on Roberts' analysis, industry attorney Mark Pestronk said: "It's a good presentation of the issues and facts."
"There are some errors, but he's generally on target with his facts."
"What he does is present a very good litany of the ills that arise from monopoly hubs of the major airlines while the federal government remains asleep."
Roberts, who operates two agency offices, said he has been gathering a file on airline practices since early this year, including information received from other agents.
"Until the last cut in commissions, I didn't have a clear plan on what to do with the information," he said.
"Then [after the last cuts] I realized that the true motivation of the airlines was greed, and I felt there was a story to tell the public."
The agent, who is not a member of any trade association, said he does not believe trade organizations can be effective in leading the type of national consumer campaign he envisions.
"What the travel industry needs is fewer organizations," Roberts said.
"This is a much bigger issue than an agent issue," he said. "This is a consumer and public policy issue.
"We're all at the airlines' mercy because they have complete latitude to do whatever they want to consumers and agents alike."
"It's an industry out of control."
Roberts' emphasis on consumer-oriented issues dovetails with that of ASTA, which has called for congressional hearings on how policies of "airline oligopolies" directly affect consumers.
He has sent his documents to ASTA, but the Society declined to comment.
Roberts said he hopes that major media attention on airline policies will spur congressional hearings.
"I'll give Congress names and witnesses to expose the airline policies in restraint of trade."
No airlines have responded to his document and its allegations. "Airlines to my knowledge are not aware of it," he said.
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