BCD Travel Agreement with British Airways and Iberia Lets Clients Book Reservations on BA and IB without Incurring Distribution Surcharge

UTRECHT, Netherlands--()--BCD Travel has reached an agreement with British Airways (BA) & Iberia (IB) that will let its clients book reservations on BA and IB without incurring a distribution surcharge.

The airlines announced earlier this year that they would introduce a distribution technology charge (DTC) beginning Nov. 1 applied to all air bookings with the exception of those made through NDC-based connections, or through the airlines’ websites, sales offices and call-centers. Bookings made using global distribution systems (GDSs) will be subject to the charge while bookings using the International Air Transport Associations’ (IATA’s) new distribution capability (NDC) will not.

Under the multi-year deal, BCD Travel is strongly committed to working with BA and IB, as well as technology providers, to determine how new technologies and distribution capabilities can be implemented to improve the travel experience for mutual clients and travelers. BCD is also committed to ensuring that companies retain the benefits of traditional distribution channels and will continue exploring the option of GDSs providing a viable NDC solution.

One of the three GDSs has supported this arrangement which will allow BA and IB to waive the DTC for bookings made through this GDS from 1 November. BCD is now confident that similar support will be forthcoming from the other two major GDSs.

“We are committed to ensuring our industry moves forward and new technologies are used to improve the customer experience for travel buyers. This agreement helps do that,” said Rose Stratford, BCD Travel executive vice president global supplier relations and strategic sourcing. “It ensures that airline distribution channels will continue to provide corporate travel buyers with all the benefits they currently enjoy.

“This includes the ability to shop from among multiple competing offers between like city pairs and to capture essential data needed to keep travelers safe on the road. We applaud British Airways & Iberia’s willingness to work with BCD Travel to reach an agreement that mutually benefits our customers.”

“We are delighted to have reached this agreement with BCD Travel which is great news for our mutual customers,” said Stephen Humphreys, British Airways Global Head of Sales. “BCD Travel has given a strong commitment to NDC, and we look forward to working in collaboration with them and their technology partners in developing plans and delivering enhanced experiences for customers.”

About BCD Travel

BCD Travel helps companies make the most of what they spend on travel. For travelers, this means keeping them safe and productive, and equipping them to make good choices on the road. For travel and procurement managers, it means advising them on how to grow the value of their travel program. In short, we help our clients travel smart and achieve more. We make this happen in 108 countries with almost 13,000 creative, committed and experienced people. And it’s how we maintain the industry’s most consistent client retention rate (95% over the past 10 years), with 2016 sales of US$24.6 billion. For more information, visit www.bcdtravel.com.

About BCD Group

BCD Group is a market leader in the travel industry. The privately-owned company was founded in 1975 by John Fentener van Vlissingen and consists of BCD Travel (global corporate travel management), Travix (online travel: CheapTickets, Vliegwinkel, BudgetAir, Flugladen and Vayama), Park ‘N Fly (off-airport parking), Airtrade Holland (consolidation and fulfillment) and joint ventures Parkmobile International (mobile parking applications). BCD Group employs over 14,000 people and operates in 108 countries with total sales of US$26.4 billion, including US$10.4 billion partner sales. For more information, visit www.bcdgroup.com.

Contacts

BCD Travel
Michael Antrobus, +1-678-441-1247
Public.Relations@bcdtravel.com

Contacts

BCD Travel
Michael Antrobus, +1-678-441-1247
Public.Relations@bcdtravel.com