Talks between BA and the four different GDSs over new deals on distribution costs were still continuing last night (February 28).
The old deals between the UK carrier and Sabre, Amadeus, Galileo and Worldspan expired on Tuesday (February 27) but a BA spokesman said these existing arrangements would stay in force until and when any new agreements were signed.
BA has, according to BTE sources, demanded that the booking fees it pays to the GDSs are halved - a position from which the airline has refused to budge, say the GDSs.
One source said that BA, if it did not get this reduction, was threatening to add the whole of any GDS fee to its fare.
This increase would almost certainly be passed on by the travel management companies to their clients.
This apparent situation has led the US-based Business Travel Coalition (BTC) to organise a letter to BA ceo Willie Walsh signed by more than 100 corporate customers and travel associations.
The letter expressed its "profound concern" that BA could add the cost of booking fees paid to GDSs to the price of its tickets.
It urged Mr Walsh to reach agreements with the GDSs with his "best customers' concerns" in mind.
Members of the Belgian Association of Travel Management, representing many of the country's travel managers, have also sent a similar letter to Philippe Vander Putten, ceo of Brussels Airlines.
A spokesman for BA said that there was no deadline for the talks to end and they would go on until a deal had been reached or not.
A spokesman for Sabre confirmed that the talks were continuing.
* see BTE's recruitment site www.businesstraveljobs.com