In what is the latest airline fee hike to hit travel agents, Emirates has announced that they will slap on a surcharge of US$25 (AU$32) for all GDS bookings from July 1, 2021.
The charge will range between US$14 (AU$18) and US$25 (AU$32) per ticket depending on sector length when booked through a GDS.
The Dubai based airline says the reason for the new charges is to offset the rising costs of selling tickets through traditional distribution platforms.
Meaning, obviously, traditional GDSs.
On the same day the change comes into effect, July 1, the airline will also launch a range of enhanced content and services on its NDC-enabled direct platform, Emirates Gateway.
The airline says this will give agents a market advantage via access to differentiated ticket pricing, such as dedicated promo fares and pre-sales, plus the ability to book excess baggage and differentiated pricing for select ancillary services.
Agencies and travel agents who do use the Emirates Gateway direct connect portal will not have to pay the surcharge and will gain access to better deals and more varied product offerings than will be available in the GDSs.
The airline said the new portal would “address the limitations of current legacy systems and provide a wide range of additional content and options for agents”.
“Agencies not signed up to the Emirates Gateway can continue to access Emirates’ EDIFACT – legacy content through the airline’s GDS partners Amadeus, Travelport, Travelsky, Infini and Sirena,” it said.
Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim said the airline was ‘encouraged’ by the support it has received from trade partners and GDSs.
“Emirates firmly believes in healthy, long-term relationships with all players in the travel eco-system, and we will continue to work hard to nurture the relationships that we’ve built through the years by providing great value and service,”
Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer
“Our goal is to empower our trade partners to deliver even better customer experiences, and we are pleased to introduce the next batch of new exclusive features and benefits for them on Emirates Gateway.” He said.