At an emergency general meeting yesterday at a city hotel, the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (Atab) reset a January 15 deadline for the Board of Airlines Representatives (Bar) to reverse its decision to reduce travel agents' commission. They would now go on indefinite strike from January 16 if their demand were not met by then.

Some 40,000 non-ballotees, who are handled by the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Haab) that also supported the agitation, found themselves in a sticky stew when Atab announced its strike plan on December 27 last year.

The agents opted for strike programme after Bar, an association of 17 airlines operating in Bangladesh, on December 8 decided to reduce travel agencies' commission from nine percent to seven percent from January 1, 2004.

About 1,400 travel agents protested the Bar decision claiming that the commission cut will have spillover effects on the non-ballotee pilgrims as well as other local passengers, some 75 percent of whom are in the low income bracket and travel to the Middle East to work mostly as labourers.

Presided over by Atab and Haab President MA Muhaimin Saleh, yesterday's meeting also decided to go to court for an injunction on the Bar decision coming into effect.

The Atab chief said, "If commission is reduced, they (travel agents) would no more be able to offer discount to passengers."

"If the BAR decision stands, foreign airlines, which control over 60 percent of the $350 million ticket market, would be able to remit $7 million in excess a year to respective countries," he said.

Atab members will also wear black badge from today, observe a token strike on January 7 at the National Press Club and submit a memorandum to the prime minister on January 10.

Biman, which will ferry 25,000 Hajj pilgrims in 81 special flights this season, yesterday started its Hajj flight. In the first flight, 274 pilgrims flew out for Jeddah from Zia International Airport at 5:00 pm.