Lufthansa has been criticised for ignoring the corporate market when deciding to charge €16 for tickets issued via a GDS.
Following a meeting with the airline, Paul Wait, chief executive of GTMC – which represents TMCs – said business travellers have to book flights which adhere to procurement and duty of care policies and guidelines.
He said: "With this in mind LH.com is not fit for purpose when compared to GDS. For customers, especially corporate customers who book direct and may have requirements to change itineraries for example, the move away from GDS will increase booking times making it a far less efficient process.
"Our own research shows that this is not what the corporate customer wants and would therefore suggest that LH.com has not paid due diligence to the value of the corporate market before implementing this change.
In an attempt to drive bookings through its own website, the German carrier said the charge would apply to all bookings made via any GDS for flights with Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian and Brussels Airlines from September 1.
But agents can avoid the new ‘Distribution Cost Charge’ or NCC by booking direct on the airline’s website.
