Six staff are to lose their jobs at Meyer-Franklin Travel this week, the company announced last night.

A fall in airline ticket sales and a slashing of commissions by airlines has forced the agency to restructure its business, Meyer-Franklin Travel president Cheryl Hayward-Chew said.

The loss of the six posts will leave the company, whose offices are in Church Street, with a staff of 17.

"The travel industry is challenged, having fought through 9/11, SARS, rocketing fuel costs and finally the current economic crisis and the shrinking of the economy," Mrs. Hayward-Chew said. "This has translated into three of Bermuda's major air carriers cutting their commissions to travel agencies in half. People are still booking cruises, but ultimately our airline ticket sales have decreased this year by about 15 percent. If we are to deliver the high-level of customer service that Meyer-Franklin Travel has long been committed to, our business model must change."

Mrs. Hayward-Chew added: "Our long-range planning, which we base on industry trends, has foreseen this move toward a streamlined boutique-style agency, one that offers highly individualised customer service. Yet, clearly, the change doesn't come without hardship.

"Of those in the Meyer-Franklin Travel family to whom we will say goodbye, each and every one has worked hard and shown tremendous dedication. Their contributions are honoured and respected and I thank them all."