“Unacceptable” Fee Turns Travel Managers Against Airlines

Independent travel managers vow to stop working with Lufthansa Group airlines, citing decision to implement distribution charges.

A group of independent travel managers are denouncing Lufthansa Group, announcing a position of non-cooperation in advance of the company’s mandatory distribution fees. The travel managers of the Advantage Focus Partnership will begin shunning German flag carrier Lufthansa, as well as its fellow group airlines, immediately before the policy goes into effect.

Lufthansa Group announced the new fee for tickets booked through third parties in June, a controversial decision that will add approximately $20 to the price of a ticket. The mandatory fee will go into effect on September 1 and apply to all of the company’s airlines, including Austrian Airlines, Germanwings and Swiss International Air Lines.

However, the network of 66 travel managers are decrying the new fee structure as “unacceptable” and have vowed to stop working with Lufthansa Group, announcing the immediate drop of accepting training, sales calls, or familiarization trips with the airlines.

“Make no mistake, the distribution network in its current form will be irreparably damaged by differential pricing on this scale by a major airline,” said Ken McLeod, Advantage corporate director. “If successful, this will be replicated across the airline industry.”

While the group will not participate in Lufthansa-sponsored events, the group noted they would continue to sell space on Lufthansa Group flights, per the request of clients.

The Lufthansa global distribution charge will directly impact online travel agencies, but not flight aggregators that pass flyers to the airline’s website in order to complete their purchase. When announcing the fee, a Lufthansa spokesperson said it was aimed at creating “more transparency” for consumers.

[Photo: Lufthansa Group]