Airlines, travel agents clash over surcharges

Mumbai: Airlines, without exception, are levying surcharges in different ways to bypass the commission payable to travel agents on increased fares. International airlines, in fact, have gone a step ahead by imposing Rs 300 per ticket as surcharge which cannot be attributed to any cost.
Irked at this, a leading IATA recognised travel agent said: “Airliness want to skip travel agents’ commission. For this, they are into new surcharges and in some case a hidden surcharge with no name.”
A leading low-fare senior executive said there is no difference in raising basic fares or levying surcharge. “Both of these measures would mean the same thing, except the change in names,” he said.
When contacted the Travel Agents’ Federation of India (Tafi) begged to be different. Its national general secretary, Ajay Prakash, said there is no justification in levying such surcharges and it misleads the public by advertising lowest fares, excluding these tax burden, by airlines.
18/12/06 P R Sanjai/Business Standard

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