Can Lufthansa meet
agents’ needs?
FOLLOWING up on
TNW’s recent report on
Lufthansa’s proposed GDS
surcharge (June 17), it is
most interesting to note
how at the recent Iata AGM
in Miami, most airlines
applauded this initiative
and no doubt will be
watching this space very
carefully.
At this same AGM, many
prominent airlines reported
increased profits and the
general consensus was
that the industry had
experienced a pretty good
year. Understandably,
airlines are still trying
to increase yields and
profitability and levying
GDS surcharges will
certainly help.
Now Lufthansa claims
that agents will be able
to integrate bookings
made on its web portal to
their mid- and back-office
systems. One must wonder
at the cost to develop
such technology as many
different systems are used
by agents around the world
– will LH make its agent
web portal compatible with
every different accounting
system?
Another challenge
for agents will be the
efficiency of incorporating
hotel and car bookings, as
is done on our GDSs.
How will agents be able
to deliver the service to
clients that they expect,
providing quotes and
holding bookings until
authorised, which can
take some time as we
all know. With Internet
bookings payment must be
immediate.
One wonders how refunds
will be handled. Does LH
envisage bypassing BSP
if bookings are done on
its site? Will all rules
be available and easily
accessible on its site? In
cases where fare building
is necessary has LH made
a facility for this?
These are but a few
questions that come to
mind; there will certainly
be many more. September
is almost upon us. Will LH
be training agents on its
new procedures in time
for the switchover? Will its
call centre be adequately
manned to field the
queries?
If other carriers follow
suit, it will mean an
increase in fares. This
will most certainly cause
ill feeling from agents
having to compete on an
uneven playing field with
their suppliers. When
will airlines realise that
they will never be able
to compete with the
GDS technology as an
invaluable tool to agents
and OTAs?
Allan Wolman
Md XL Rosebank Travel.
