Sabre to include airline ancillary fees

Sabre Travel Network will incorporate airline ancillary fees into its global distribution system for travel retailers from Monday.

Sabre Travel Network will incorporate airline ancillary fees into its global distribution system for travel retailers from Monday.

The Sabre Air Total Pricing system will offer a summary of ancillary fees for checked baggage, seat selection, lounge access, meals and in-flight entertainment, allow agents to view specific charges and provide an all-inclusive fare.

However, the GDS cannot provide access to all ancillaries until carriers share all the relevant data

Sabre senior vice-president for Europe Martin Cowley said: “This is a first step for travel agents and consumers so they have insight into their true travel costs. This kind of detailed information is what travel agents tell us they need.”

All the GDSs are working on incorporating ancillary charges into their systems, amid increasing concern among corporate travel managers at the “unbundling” of fares by airlines. The practice can disguise the full cost of air travel and complicate the management of travel budgets.