Expedia Group has signed a deal with Air France, KLM and Hop! so that its customers won’t have to pay the new €11 each way GDS booking charge.
The fee, which came into force this month, follows similar moves by Lufthansa, which introduced a €16 charge for GDS bookings in September 2015, and British Airways parent IAG which has charged €9.50 each leg since November.
Agents who book direct with the airlines or who commit to IATA’s New Distribution Capability technology don’t have to pay the fees.
Separately Air France KLM has signed distribution deals with Travelport and Amadeus so agents can avoid paying the charges.
