The unbundling of air fares remains a concern for travel management companies, according to one of the industry's most senior figures.
Alan Spence, who chairs the Guild of Travel Management Companies' air working party (AWP) and was until recently managing director of FCm Travel, said the corporate travel sector still had some way to go in dealing with fragmented air fares.
Spence was speaking to ABTN about the issues facing the air working party in the run up to the GTMC annual domestic conference in London.
"The rebundling of air fares is still an issue for us because everyone is attempting to put extras on everything," he said.
"Even British Airways is creeping in and it's making everything more complicated. We need to discuss ways to deal with it."
Budget carriers, such as easyJet and Ryanair were the first to introduce the 'unbundled fare', which means you pay your standard air fare in addition to a fee for ancillaries such luggage in the hold, preferential boarding, food and drink.
Nowadays, most legacy carriers have adopted some form of additional optional charge to try an increase their total revenue.
"The airlines forget we have to adjust all our back office systems to accommodate these changes," said Spence.
"But I suppose they've seen the success of easyJet and they are all trying to follow suit."
Spence said TMCs were not "anti unbundling", insisting instead that they were actually "sympathetic" and "in agreement" with airlines on the basis that "it is thought through thoroughly and systems are put in place to make it work."
He said the global distribution system providers, such as Travelport, Amadeus and Sabre, could probably be doing more to help the situation.
"The GDSs tend to do bits as they go along. But what they want to do is make money. If it doesn't do so they're not so keen. I guess you can't really blame them in that respect."
Spence said the AWP was also following developments with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and regulatory bodies in Europe.
He said the frequency with which TMCs have to remunerate airlines through the IATA's billing settlement plan (BSP) was still being monitored.
At present the vast majority of TMCs pay the airlines - through IATA - every four weeks, though the airlines have suggested in the past that they would prefer payments to be made more regularly. In some regions, IATA insists on weekly or fortnightly payment.
"Airline remuneration is always one of those issues people in the airline business underplay. But it is important," insisted Spence.
"If you're paying once a month and they want it twice a month, that's a lot of dough.
"And it affects how you do business with your customers. You'll need them to pay you quicker, and remember it's not the biggest margin business.
"I think there will be a working way round it. Airlines like other suppliers like to sometimes do things without thinking them through. But we've lived that game for the last 40 years," he joked.
"Even when it comes to issues such as air passenger duty (APD), we try to balance things it out so it's fair for both sides.
"We are not there to be destructive; we are there to be constructive.
"We see the airlines point of view on things, even though we might not agree. It's about keeping the relationship with airlines for the benefit of the GTMC's members, that's why they join."
The GTMC's London conference takes place at the The Savoy hotel on The Strand in London on November 1.
www.gtmc.org