British Airways has called on the GTMC to stop whingeing about comparatively minor issues and help it beat the "toxic combination" of weakening revenues and soaring fuel costs.
Speaking at the Guild's annual conference in Istanbul, BA's head of sales Drew Crawley warned that by continuing to focus on direct-sell distribution issues, the GTMC was in danger of marginalising itself.
"Our strategy for business travel distribution will always have the TMC community at its heart," he told delegates. "BA.com has been a great distribution channel for us - but it is primarily a leisure channel, and I think it should be seen as no threat to the travel management community.
"For the Guild to remain relevant it needs to give legitimacy to the issues that are relevant to the [airline] industry.
"I think there is a huge opportunity to partner in a different way. Together we need to raise the level of debate to ensure long-term sustainability of our relationship."
Declining demand and rocketing fuel costs are a much bigger issue, said Crawley.
"The drain on cash is bigger than after 9/11," he went on, "but post-9/11 airlines had assets to sell and to raise money against. Now they don't have those assets any more, and this time around there are fewer cost efficiencies to be made."