Lufthansa Group’s planned €16 surcharge is a de facto fare hike that would cost BCD Travel clients €28 million annually, BCD executive Rose Stratford recently told The Beat.
Stratford, executive vice president of Global Supplier Relations and Strategic Sourcing, said the estimate is based on current booking levels staying intact and assumes the fee would apply to all group carrier bookings. BCD has a significant customer base in Germany, which increases its clients’ exposure.
“Our clients ultimately have a decision to make as to whether they’re OK with paying the fee if they need to continue booking Lufthansa,” Stratford told The Beat. “We have some customers today that have already asked us to look at alternative carriers where they would not be imposed a fee and where there may be options in certain city pairs for them.”
Clients may “look at what channels are available to them to bypass this fee,” Stratford said.