Amadeus and British Airways have at last signed an agreement for the distribution of the airline’s fares and inventory to the GDS’s travel agency and corporate subscribers. The agreement comes months after Amadeus’s competitors reached a distribution deal with BA. Under the terms of the agreement, Amadeus will continue its opt-in programme for BA bookings…
Amadeus deal ends GDS saga for British Airways
Amadeus and British Airways have at last signed an agreement for the distribution of the airline’s fares and inventory to the GDS’s travel agency and corporate subscribers.
The agreement comes months after Amadeus’s competitors reached a distribution deal with BA.
Under the terms of the agreement, Amadeus will continue its opt-in programme for BA bookings in the UK and Ireland.
Travel agents will have guaranteed access to BA’s full range of fares, with no surcharge from the airline, in return for an opt-in fee paid to Amadeus of £0.50 per segment booked on BA premium class fares and £1.00 per segment booked on economy class fares.
Any travel agents wishing to opt-in to the programme can do so by returning to Amadeus a signed and dated copy of the letter and the addendum to the Amadeus Subscriber Agreement enclosed with a letter sent out to its agent subscribers this week. Travel agencies can also request copies of the letter from their Amadeus account manager.
BA’s previous GDS contracts expired on 28 February. The airline first reached an agreement with Galileo, followed by Sabre in late March and Worldspan in early April.
While the specific arrangements between BA and each GDS remain confidential, both sides confirm that BA’s new agreements have decreased the airline’s distribution fees. Agents are now bearing a portion of the distribution fee, which, in some cases, is being passed on to travellers.
