GBTA warns of ‘unjust ticketing fee

Friday, 26 Apr, 2004 0

BUSINESS travellers exploring new markets across the globe are being stung by an unjust ticketing fee by airlines, the Guild of Business Travel Agents has said.

Four carriers – British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Dutch carrier KLM and BMI British Midland – all charge £25 for travellers who prefer to be issued with paper tickets, rather than e-tickets. But in many developing countries visited by business travellers, technology for e-ticketing simply does not exist.

The GBTA is now calling for the airlines to use their common sense and scrap the fee where “virtual” tickets are not recognised.

Airlines are said to be considering the move. GBTA chief executive Philip Carlisle said the charge was penalising entrepreneurs in particular who attempt to open up new markets.

“We are all in favour of cost-cutting technologies but airline have to be realistic,” he said. “E-tickets work wonderfully well for most business trips but there are still plenty of places where they have yet to catch on.

“Forward-thinking companies looking to unlock new markets in the developing world are making a major contribution to the future of the UK economy but it is precisely these farther far-flung destinations that e-ticketing systems are most prone to failure or do not exist at all.”

In the event of only an e-ticket being issued for travel in developing countries, problems could rapidly spiral out of control, he warned.

“If you want to change a flight for example, the traveller has no way of proving that he or she is booked on a particular flight if the airport or airline does not have the technology,” said Carlisle. While £25 does not sound a lot, if a company has a team of people jetting back and forth, it soon adds up.”

He stressed that the GBTA is not looking for a complete withdrawal of the £25 charge, just to places where technology for e-ticketing is absent.

In a further move, the body, which represents for around 75% of all UK business travel, is calling for the charge to be built into ticket prices. Currently, it is separately invoiced by airlines.

“An agency is billed by the airline up to six months after the booking is made. Clients are unhappy when they then receive an invoice from the agency after such a long time,” said Carlisle.