Agents to charge higher fee from air passengers

New Delhi: With cash-strapped airlines going ahead with introduction of 'zero commission' for travel agents from tomorrow, air tickets bought from the agents are set to become costlier as the agencies have decided to impose hefty booking charges on passengers.
The travel agents have decided to charge a transaction fee of Rs 350 to Rs 500 per ticket for the domestic sector, depending on the distance to be flown by the customer, Travel Agents Association of India President Rajinder Raj said.
Passengers travelling to overseas destination would be charged Rs 2,500 for each Economy Class ticket, Rs 5,000 for Business Class and Rs 10,000 for the First Class, he added.
The move came a day ahead of the November 1 deadline for the 'zero commission' concept to come into effect.
The agents have called upon the aviation industry to take alternative steps to make up for their losses and share the burden with customers.
They also want the airlines to defer tomorrow's deadline for enforcing 'zero commission'.To date, a five per cent commission was built into the airline fares for the travel agents.
31/10/08 Press Trust of India/Hindustan Times

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Nov 2008