Lufthansa Group of Airlines Will Change its Distribution Cost Charge Starting in September

The Lufthansa Group of Airlines is making another change to its GDS surcharge for travel agents. 

In a message to its partners on Tuesday, Lufthansa said that its group of airlines—Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, and Air Dolomiti—will be adjusting its Distribution Cost Charge (DCC) starting in September. 

The DCC will go from $21 per ticket to somewhere between $18.50 per booking to $24 per booking depending on which GDS agents are using: $18.50 for bookings in the GDS Amadeus; $20.50 for bookings in the GDS Sabre; and $24 for bookings in the GDS Travelport, i.e. Galileo, Apollo, and Worldspan. 

According to the message, “The adjustment is in line with the Lufthansa Group airlines' policy to increase transparency by reflecting GDS cost accurately.”

The group is still leaving a number of booking channels DCC-free, including the group of airlines’ direct NDC API, web-based booking tool SPRK, the group’s agent website, and their separate direct websites. 

The fee was first introduced in 2015 and was originally around 16 euros. It was a non-refundable, non-commissionable fee that provoked a substantial backlash from the industry. Lufthansa, at the time, said that the move was made in order to secure “freedom in distribution.” 

TMR has reached out to Lufthansa for comment.