Frontier Airlines said late Friday that it has begun
contract negotiations with travel agencies and one travel agency consortium in
order to make it easier for travel agents to book the carrier's Economy fares
in global distribution systems.
The airline said the agencies and consortium had contacted
Frontier.
Earlier this month, Frontier issued a press release telling
consumers that the only place they can book an Economy seat and not have to pay
to use overhead bin space and earn a 100 percent mileage level in Frontier's
Early Returns program was on Frontier's own website.
However, agents can book an Economy fare for their clients
in the GDSs and clients get the same benefits that they would get if they were
booking that ticket on Frontier's own website.
However, it is difficult to do so, because Frontier has put
a more punitive Basic fare in the GDS. The Basic fare is available only in
GDSs. It costs 10 cents less than the Economy fare, and the GDS defaults to
that lower fare. Basic fare purchasers have to pay for overhead bin space and
earn just 25 percent of mileage flown.
The Economy fare is in the GDS but is difficult to find and
book.
Frontier said that travel agencies can also contact the
Frontier travel agency desk (1-800-243-6297, open Monday through Friday 7 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Mountain time) for assistance with how to best book an Economy fare,
including direct workarounds to price the Economy fare instead of the Basic
fare.
Frontier's Classic and Classic Plus fares are available in
the GDS. Instructions on how to book those fares are on the travel agent page
of Frontier's website.
This report
originally appeared in Travel Weekly.