Advantage to meet airline's executives
Delta Air Lines is offering online business class fares as much as $500 cheaper than those available to agents, the Advantage Focus Partnership said today (October 9).
Focus, which represents more than 90 UK small independent travel management companies (TMCs), said it is having a "high-level" meeting with Delta at its HQ in Atlanta next week.
David Jackson, Focus' operations executive officer, said it was a major concern as some TMCs' clients had already discovered the cheaper fares.
"Within the Focus Partnership, six members have come to us with examples of this happening," Mr Jackson said.
"The TMCs are losing face with their corporate clients because they're saying they can find cheaper fares on the internet and asking if they're being ripped off.
"TMCs are losing trust and that could lose them a sizable corporate client."
Mr Jackson said Focus had gathered "black and white" evidence of large price discrepancies between GDS and online air fares.
Delta blamed the difference on a technical problem which would not be resolved until November.
A spokesperson for the airline confirmed that it was addressing the problem and was working with the GDSs to align pricing.
But Mr Jackson said that November was not soon enough for his members and that some GDSs were "up in arms".
"What's annoying us on this occasion is it's taken us six weeks already to get to this stage, and they're still saying that a solution's not going to happen until November," he added.
"TMCs are being threatened by their clients that they could lose their business. It's very worrying if the situation is not sorted out soon."
Delta has put in place a temporary "price-match" for all Focus' members caught out by this error, Mr Jackson confirmed.
Ken McLeod, director corporate for Advantage and one of the delegates to Atlanta, said Delta was "prepared to listen to us which is more than some other airlines."
Mr Jackson added that Delta was "listening and sympathetic, hence the meeting next week."
www.focuspartnership.com www.delta.com www.advantage4businesstravel.com