business Essential news, comment and analysis Christoph Klenner:


‘Consumers should be very concerned’


Airlines stand accused of systematic discrimination


Consumers are threatened by carriers’ drive for ‘less transparency’ on fares, says GDS association. Ian Taylor reports


Three of Europe’s biggest airlines are “systematically discriminating against consumers”, according to the association of leading online travel agents and global distribution systems (GDSs).


Christoph Klenner, secretary


general of the European Travel & Technology Services Association (Ettsa), has accused IAG-owned British Airways and Iberia, Lufthansa and Air France-KLM of discriminating by imposing fees on GDS bookings. Air France-KLM became the


72 travelweekly.co.uk 16 November 2017


latest airline to announce a GDS booking charge last week. It will levy a €22 fee on return fares fromApril. IAG carriers BA and Iberia


introduced an £8 (€9.50) charge per fare component, or £16 (€19) on a return flight, on November 1. Lufthansa has imposed a €16 fee per GDS fares with group airlines Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa since September 2015. In a comment piece for Travel


Weekly online, Klenner wrote: “The three most-powerful airline groups in Europe now consistently


and systematically discriminate against consumers who wish to compare fares across airlines in a neutral manner. “Consumers should be very concerned, as less transparency will eventually lead to higher fares. Smaller airline competitors should be equally concerned.” The carriers claim their GDS


fees merely cover the higher costs of distribution through traditional channels. But Klenner pointed to research published last month that concluded “there is only a very minor cost difference between direct and indirect distribution” (Travel Weekly, October 26). He said: “Cost savings are not the reason why powerful


CONTINUED ON PAGE 70


PICTURE: STEVE DUNLOP


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80