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BA’s new low-cost fares exclude a checked bag or choice of seat


BA Basic fares to Americas to bypass non-NDC agents


Smaller agents face being shut out of selling British Airways’ cheapest fares to the US. Ian Taylor reports


British Airways will introduce long-haul Basic economy fares at a lower price than standard or ‘bundled’ fares on transatlantic routes next month and these will be available only to agents with New Distribution Capability (NDC) connections or agreements.


BA announced the Basic fares


last week in a joint statement with sister carrier Iberia and transatlantic joint-venture partners American Airlines and Finnair. All four carriers will


72 travelweekly.co.uk 8 March 2018


deploy the fares, which on Finnair will be called Light. The carriers said this will allow


customers “to personalise their journey and only pay for the elements they require”. Details, including the difference in price to standard economy fares, won’t be announced until the release in April. But the fares will not include a checked bag or choice of seat. These will need to be purchased in addition to a seat if passengers want them, excluding agents without access to


NDC connections or agreements from completing bookings of the cheapest long-haul fares for clients. Many of the biggest corporate


travel management companies (TMCs) have signed deals with IAG-owned carriers BA and Iberia to develop NDC connections and bypass the £8 charge per fare component on GDS bookings imposed by the pair from November. Smaller agents without agreements now face not only adding the GDS fee to fares but also exclusion from selling the cheapest fares. In a statement to the trade, BA said the unbundled fares would


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