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ABTA president Stephen Bath has issued a last-minute plea to agents urging them to give Newman Street the ammunition it needs to take British Airways to the Office of Fair Trading.

While more than 100 agents have contacted ABTA so far, Bath said it would need 30 strong case studies from businesses damaged by BA’s changes to Fresh Approach to win the case.

ABTA will debate preliminary findings presented by head of legal services Ricardo Nardi at its board meeting on Wednesday. Bath denied there was a split in Newman Street over the issue, but said board members representing the council of regions were more gung-ho than their colleagues.

However, he said the majority agreed on the need to build a strong case rather than go down “all guns blazing”.

“We need to show that BA is knocking a profitable little agency into the red,” said Bath. “That’s what will impress the OFT, not angry travel agents thumping the table.”

Meanwhile, Advantage Travel Centres’ board of directors has renewed its call for members to contact Newman Street about BA’s plans and urged ABTA to make a stand.

Advantage president Roger Smith said: “If ABTA don’t take the case to the OFT, it will have let its membership down.”