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Sabre Travel
Network announced yesterday that it is instituting a new policy for any airline participating in the
direct-connect availability (DCA) three-year program which charges a fee on tickets issued through Sabre that is not
also applied to the airline's own website. The policy goes into immediate
effect for Northwest Airlines in response to its announcement
of imposing new ticketing fees on all domestic tickets issued through U.S. and Canadian travel
agencies using a global distribution system (GDS).
Sabre
stated that such behavior is contrary to the letter and the spirit of the DCA 3 agreements.
"We are taking proactive measures to protect consumers from hidden and selective fare increases. And we are
standing up for online and offline travel agents, who have long-provided great service to consumers and
corporations," said John Stow, president of Sabre Travel Network.
Under the new policy, Sabre will take a series of actions applicable to any airline not honoring its commitment to
provide fare parity for Sabre users. Initial actions include:
- Ensuring more prominent display for those carriers providing
the full complement of fares as required under the agreement;
- Discontinuing access to system data and tools enjoyed by other
DCA 3 participants; and
- Withholding a portion of the discounts available under the DCA
3 program.
"The Sabre DCA 3 program was introduced in late 2002 and was applauded by the travel industry for its role in
eliminating fare confusion in the marketplace. It is unfortunate that Northwest Airlines is attempting to reintroduce
that confusion; it is anti-consumer and anti-travel agent," Stow said. |
