COME April 1 next year, Air
France KLM will introduce a
GDS charge of €11 (R180) per
one way on GDS sales. This
means that for a round trip (for
example JNB-CDG-NYC-CDGJNB),
the surcharge applies
twice. Groups will be exempted
from the charge.
Air France KLM is the
latest airline to introduce the
surcharge, following similar
moves by Lufthansa, British
Airways and Iberia.
The airline said in a memo
to agents that the surcharge
would cover the cost difference
between the GDS model and
the corresponding costs of
Air France and KLM direct
sales and is subject to change
in the future. The airline
said the current GDS model
represented higher costs than
other options and came with
more constraints.
The surcharge will not
apply to sales via an NDC
API connection (available in
January 2018), the Air France
KLM Agent Booking Tool
(deployed from April 1, 2018)
or to Air France and KLM direct
sales channels.
But while Air France KLM
is applying a surcharge to
bookings on the GDS, a recent
deal struck between IAG
(International Airlines Group),
which owns British Airways and
Iberia, has seen Flight Centre
Travel Group, Amex and HRG
exempted from the surcharge
when booking on Amadeus.
This scenario suggests it’s
not implausible that similar
deals could be struck between
other airlines and agents,
allowing them to bypass these
surcharges. Asked if a similar
deal was in the pipeline for
Air France KLM bookings on
Amadeus, a spokesperson
said: “We will engage with
AF KLM to find a sustainable,
long-term agreement that suits
all players across the travel
industry. We cannot comment
on specific details beyond that
at this stage.”
Andrew Stark, md of Flight
Centre Travel Group Africa,
suggested that the group would
not look for a similar deal with
Air France KLM from a local
perspective, although he didn’t
rule it out for the group’s other
territories. “One thing we know
about Air France KLM in the
South African market is that
they have a strong appetite to
deal direct and they don’t
have a strong relationship with
the retail trade.”
An official Sabre statement
reads: “It is disappointing
to see AF KLM introduce a
surcharge that will impose
costs and inconvenience for
using the GDS channel. We will
be discussing options with the
airline. As always, our driving
goal is to provide a balanced
solution that meets the needs
of airlines, agencies and
consumers.”
