THE big three US airlines, namely American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, have reportedly made a silent change to its fare policies that will result in consumers paying as much as seven times more for their tickets.
According to a report by the Business Travel Coalition (BTC), a US-based managed travel community advocacy organisation, the big three US airlines have changed their airfare policy to prevent multi-city ticketing using the lowest available fare on each segment.
This results in return fares being substantially more expensive than if tickets were to be purchased as separate one-way fares.
Leisure travelers, who usually purchase the traditionally more affordable round-trip tickets, will be caught unprepared, warns BTC.
It adds that while a travel agent will be aware of the policy change, the problem is that most consumers, especially infrequent travelers who manage their own trips, will be caught unaware when purchasing tickets on the airline websites.
Small businesses who do not have managed travel programmes and access to travel agents will likely be blindsided as well.
But even big corporations with well-developed travel management programmes will be affected. Explained BTC: “(Major corporations) will be forced to purchase a series of one-way tickets as a workaround to substantially higher multi-city itineraries issued as a single round-trip ticket.
“Those travellers, and the organisations that actually pay for the travel, will face travel agency service fees on each segment, and to add insult to injury, when travel plans are modified, they will face change and cancellation fees of up to US$200 per segment.”
BTC further cautions that if this fare-rule change were to succeed, Europe will likely be hit next as carriers there will use it as a tool against the ubiquitous LCCs operating in the region.
