One-Half of Travel Managers to Cut Spending with Lufthansa Once €16 Per Booking Surcharge Goes Into Effect on Sept 1

Alexandria, VA (August 27, 2015) – In June, the Lufthansa Group airlines announced that it plans to add a surcharge to tickets purchased anywhere other than its websites, service centers and airport ticket counters beginning next week on September 1, 2015. A poll of Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Members shows 50 percent of travel managers who currently include Lufthansa in their travel program as a preferred carrier plan to decrease spending with Lufthansa once this fee takes effect.

Additionally the poll showed 51 percent of all respondents definitely or probably will not use Lufthansa as a preferred carrier if the Lufthansa Group moves forward with the fee.
As the voice of the business travel industry and the corporate travel buyer, GBTA continues to hold its position that this planned strategy will negatively impact corporate travel programs. It is a direct price increase to managed travel programs with no corresponding benefit. It could also ultimately lead to decreased price transparency if carried out by not only Lufthansa, but other airlines in the industry.

CONTACT: Colleen Lerro Gallagher, +1 703-236-1133, cgallagher@gbta.org
Scott Gerber, +1 202-463-0067, scott.gerber@463.com

About the Global Business Travel Association
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations on six continents. GBTA’s 9,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. To learn how business travel drives lasting business growth, gbta.org