All-inclusive payment or per booking?

Gone with the wind! No more reimbursement! After introduction of the “zero” commission in 2004, the annual payments by the airlines to travel agencies – highly welcome, of course – were a thing of the past. Agencies continued to receive their inclusive payment, the so-called “management fee”, but they were robbed of their “reimbursement”.

After introduction of the zero commission, a service fee for each booking was introduced: the transaction fee. This is where great savings potential lies for business travel. The transaction fee offers companies more control of their costs because the fee structure is more transparent.

But is it always cheaper? Is it more advantageous to pay a fee for every booking than to pay an all-inclusive fee to a travel agency? Can a company save money in some cases by negotiating an all-inclusive fee that is acceptable to both sides?

It is only possible to answer this question if you identify your actual costs and carry out a transparent comparison of both possibilities. You may see that a combination of both types of fees is the best solution.

But a good, qualified partner who can plausibly organize the most economical flights for you is irreplaceable. Such a partner cannot necessarily be compensated for by savings in fees!