Air France-KLM studying rivals' third-party booking surcharges

Air France-KLM is assessing its relationships with global distribution systems after rivals introduced surcharges for bookings via third parties, CEO Jean-Marc Janaillac said Monday. Lufthansa introduced a surcharge for such bookings in 2015, and BA and Iberia followed last month, knocking down shares of global distribution systems such as Amadeus IT Group SA, Travelport Worldwide Ltd and Sabre Corp. "We are studying the situation and preparing to be able to take all possible directions," Janaillac said. KLM CEO Pieter Elbers said new technology that allows airlines greater control of how fares and products are displayed was changing the landscape. "This enables us to take different steps and have a different relationship" with global distribution systems, he said. Janaillac also reiterated previous comments that the market outlook was positive in terms of long-haul bookings and unit revenues but cautioned that demand was fragile.<br/>