Lufthansa Group to Add Surcharge For Flights Booked on Other Sites
Skift Take
The big question for the Lufthansa Group is whether other airlines will follow its lead. Either way, things are about to get nasty.
Tired of the fees it pays to distribution companies such as Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport, the Lufthansa Group announced that beginning September 1 it will charge consumers and travel agents an extra $17.80 (16 euros) per ticket for flights booked beyond Lufthansa Group websites, service centers and airport ticket counters.
The Lufthansa Group, including Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Swiss, will not level the surcharge for consumer, travel agency and corporate bookings that take place through the airlines' channels -- although that would entail new technology costs for the travel agencies and corporations.
If history is a guide, Lufthansa's action will trigger an intense backlash from the likes of A
