Travel agents to suspend Lufthansa ticket sales

Two major travel agents' organisations on Friday decided to suspend the sale of tickets of German airline Lufthansa from tomorrow and decided to progressively carry out similar action against other global carriers to protest against reduction in their commission.

Representatives of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) and Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), who had a meeting with officials of international carriers here, demanded that the airlines defer their decision to cut agent commission from 7 per cent to 5 per cent from September to January next year.

Officials of major global airlines, including Lufthansa, KLM, Austrian, United Airlines, American Airlines, Alitalia and British Airways, present at the meeting said the discussions remained "inconclusive".

They said the decision on the commission cut was not for Indian agents alone, but was applicable to travel agents and tour operations globally.

Opposing the decision of the international carriers to reduce the agency commission, the association leaders said the carriers should restore the original commission rates.

Describing the move to cut commission, which is to be effective from September one, as "a breach of trust", TAFI and TAAI leaders said they were "deeply aggrieved and agitated" over the decision.

Meanwhile, a Lufthansa spokesperson said the decision to revise agency commission was "in consonance with the airline industry, especially other European airlines".

Lufthansa, which operates a total of 30 flights a week, including 11 from Delhi, said it was "open to discussion with its partners, keeping in mind the end objectives of remaining globally competitive".