Air France and KLM to withdraw some fares from GDS

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Air France and KLM are to make some of their cheapest fares only available through NDC-based channels as part of distribution changes being made by the sister airlines.

The carriers said in a statement that it would withdraw short and medium-haul “Light” fares, which have a minimum stay requirement, from traditional GDS channels in June when these fares would only remain available via NDC connections.

Air France and KLM said the move was part of its policy to “apply content differentiation between traditional GDS and NDC”. The airlines withdrew limited-time promotional offers from traditional GDS channels in January.

“For travel agents that have access to an Air France and KLM NDC connection, all fares will remain available. In addition, travel agents using NDC will enjoy a range of benefits that includes continuous pricing, ancillaries, and more personalised offers,” added the airline in their statement.

The move comes after American Airlines told TMCs and online booking tools that they must use NDC connections to continue to have access to its full range of fares by the start of this month. This change has created fears among travel buyers that the corporate travel industry was not ready for such a development.

Air France and KLM also jointly announced the addition of three new NDC aggregators – Duffel, Verteil and Wondermiles – which will make these fares more accessible to agencies and TMCs.

The major GDS owners are also increasingly offering NDC-enabled content through their channels – for example, Travelport went live with Air France KLM content in January. 

Air France-KLM’s plans to introduce a GDS surcharge on TMCs and other travel agencies has been postponed from 31 March until the end of this year, according to BTN Europe’s sister publication The Beat.

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