A trade-wide lobby group has been founded in the US to fight attempts by airlines to bypass global distribution systems and hide ancillary charges.
The Open Allies for Airfare Transparency has been set up by the American Society of Travel Agents and the Business Travel Coalition to strengthen opposition by bringing leisure and business travel interests together.
Open Allies’ chief enemy is American Airlines, which recently announced the launch of Direct Connect, a direct distribution system that does not permit fare comparisons. Direct Connect has brought an angry reaction from agents, travel management companies and GDSs, with Sabre downgrading the airline on its system.
Agents argue that Direct Connect-style systems limit competition and choice and require TMCs to invest in new technology.
Open Allies is also lobbying the US Department of Transportation to make airlines disclose their ancillary fee information to agents. The BTC said it expected the grouping “to attract substantial support from the global industry”.
Ken McNab, Asta’s UK chapter president and an Advantage board member, called for both sides of the industry to open a dialogue.
“We’re asking members to subscribe to this. We’ve not fallen out with anyone, but airlines and GDSs need to get together and work out the way to take this forward because we’re all caught in the middle.”
McNab said airlines still needed agents because they provided the majority of premium business to carriers like BA.
He added: “It might have been a lot better if the airlines essentially did what Ryanair did – i.e. saying we will do all our own advertising and Google and market building with the public.
“If they did that, they lose support from agents, but no-one can have any argument, but what they are doing is playing the agents that are tied in to their business and at the same time distributing direct.”