UFTAA responds to Lufthansa’s announcement on charging €16 for each GDS reservation

MONACO – Lufthansa`s questionable announcement is based on its dominant position in various markets, including the control it has over other airlines across Europe and its high influence in the Star A

MONACO – Lufthansa`s questionable announcement is based on its dominant position in various markets, including the control it has over other airlines across Europe and its high influence in the Star Alliance.

UFTAA’s President, Mr. Joe Borg Olivier says that the amount of 16 € that Lufthansa is planning to charge agents for booking reservations in GDS is significantly higher than the approx. 2 € the company is actually paying the GDS’s. This difference proves the decisiveness and unfairness of Lufthansa.

From first look it seems that Lufthansa is (mis)using the travel agents as a shield in its commercial battle with the GDS’s.

The UFTAA “Airline Matters & IATA Committee” believes that the amount of 16 € is unchargeable via the IATA BSP system since it is a administrative charge.

Our opinion is that the charge for the GDS booking through GDS’s should be rejected by the travel agents as a dispute of inappropriate using of the BSP system until clarified. UFTAA board has asked for a legal opinion to find out whether Lufthansa´s initiative has a legal implication on the relationship between agents and the Lufthansa Group in using the IATA system.

The chairman of UFTAA “Airline Matters & IATA Committee”, Mr. Yossi Fatael will ask that this urgent issue will be discussed in the forthcoming PAPGJC meeting that will take place at the end of June in Geneva.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...