Agency and corporate travel organizations
applauded certain aspects of Air Canadas decision to return Tango
fares to its agency Web site as of July 7, but said the move still
falls short.
Paul Ruden, ASTAs
senior vice president for legal and industry affairs, said June 22
that the Society has been in contact with Air Canada and
appreciates the advance notice about its decision to restore Tango
fares to the airlines agency Web site at www.aircanada.com/agents.
But Ruden said Air
Canadas decision does not go far enough.
This appears to be
an ongoing example of content fragmentation and we are most
decidedly opposed to that, Ruden said. We want all content in the
GDS.
ASTA sent an
informational communique to members, informing them that the Air
Canada issue primarily impacts U.S. agents when selling routes in
the Canada-Florida markets, where Tango was the lead
fare.
In other U.S-Canada
markets, Tango Plus, which includes assigned seating, was the
primary fare, and Air Canada kept Tango Plus fares in the GDSs,
according to the airline.
In Ottawa, the
Association of Canadian Travel Agencies termed Air Canadas decision
a step in the right direction, but said it fell short of the groups
desire to see Tango fares back in the GDSs.
The Business Travel
Coalition also called the move a step in the right
direction.
However, BTC urges
Air Canada and the GDSs to abandon their respective punitive
actions against one another and reinstate Tango fares into the
GDSs, BTC stated. The customer should not be in the cross hairs of
this controversy.
Air Canada removed
Tango fares from the GDSs and its agency Web site May 2, saying the
GDSs lacked the technology to display its lowest fares in the
flexible manner that the airline does on AirCanada.com.
The pending
restoration of Tango fares on Air Canadas agency site means the
airline can track revenue from agent bookings and count them toward
agency compensation.
Compared with
AirCanada.com, the agency site is streamlined and features some
back-office functionality.
To
contact reporter Dennis Schaal, send e-mail to [email protected].