She emphasized that these cuts disproportionately affect certain business sectors within Canada's nearly 27,000 travel agent workforce.
"Travel agencies and travel advisers are overwhelmingly small- and medium-sized businesses," she said, adding that the majority of travel advisors are women.
The Association of Canadian Independent Travel Advisors (ACITA) also condemned the development, stating that the reduction deeply undermines their industry partnerships.
"For them to basically say, well, now we're only going to give you 3% is a little bit of a smack," said Brenda Slater, ACITA co-founder.
Slater warned that travel professionals might actively redirect their clients to alternative airline networks that offer better agency support.
"They need to be aware that travel advisors are watching and very careful to pick the suppliers based on who's going to service our clients the best — and who also is going to support us the best," she said.
She emphasized that independent travel businesses maintain the autonomy to choose which suppliers they recommend to consumers.
"If they're not going to do that, that's their choice. But we also have choices," Slater said.
The abrupt policy adjustment has led to significant distrust within the travel community regarding the airline's commitment to collaboration.
>>> Panama Faces England in World Cup Finale Amid Internal Tension and Transfer Buzz
"Now, people are questioning these industry partnerships," she said, stressing that the current decision contradicts the airline's regular messaging about the importance of external sales partners.
"We're constantly being told that we're an important partner to them, but it doesn't seem that way," Slater added.
