Lufthansa booking fee backlash intensifies
Resistance to Lufthansa’s introduction of a €16 fee for bookings made via GDS is gathering momentum this week as a group of business travel agents has announced a ‘period of non-cooperation’ with the German airline.
The 66 members of Advantage Focus Partnerships have imposed restrictions on training, fam trips, marketing, account manager sales calls and similar activities with Lufthansa.
They have stopped short of threatening not to sell tickets on the German carrier and its subsidiaries, Austrian, Swiss and Brussels Airlines, which will introduce the Distribution Cost Charge on September 1.
However, Advantage corporate director Ken McLeod suggested members might start to switch sell from next week after the fee is introduced.
He said the airline accounts for 8% of the consortium’s total airline sales revenue, probably the same as EasyJet.
Advantage stressed that members who are not part of its Focus Partnership are not involved in the action, nor do they necessarily endorse it.
Speaking on behalf of Focus members, McLeod added: "We believe that this fee is unacceptable in its current form, and is a drive by Lufthansa to discriminate against TMCs and the wider agency community by imposing a differential pricing structure between the GDS and their own trade website.
"We should make it clear that the 66 members of the Advantage Focus Partnership will continue to sell Lufthansa flights as per their clients’ wishes, and dialogue will continue with the airline’s senior management, but only through Advantage Central Office with the Focus Partnership negotiating team.
"We are mindful that our clients’ wishes are our members’ priority, however many of the Focus Partners have been discussing this iniquitous charge with their corporate accounts, so everyone should be aware of the impact on the additional processes and procedures, and the costs which could be incurred."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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