Delta Air Lines now is filing directly into the Airline Tariff Publishing Company fare rules and formulae that generate negotiated corporate fares for nearly all of its corporate clients, taking responsibility--and liability--away from travel management companies that traditionally apply corporate discounts at the point of sale. Airlines claim the direct filings improve rate loading by expediting the process and eliminating inaccuracies.
In addition to filing their standard published fares, the airlines increasingly are filing through ATPCo's categories 25 and 35 client-specific discount terms and fixed fares
(BTN, Aug. 12, 2002). The result, according to the airlines, is a reduction in travel agency debit memos.
Other major airlines are not as far along as Delta in adopting adopted automated fare filings for corporate clients. "We are in the transition, slowly but surely, and it may not work as quickly as every corporate customer would like," said Frank Morogiello, American vice president of global accounts, "but we think everybody eventually will gravitate toward this process."
Northwest Airlines in mid-2002 was one of the first carriers to automate fare filings on behalf of corporate clients. Continental and United airlines began in early 2003.
Claiming to have adopted this process for more than 90 percent of all corporate accounts, with a stated goal of 100 percent by the end of the month, Delta has been the most aggressive in leveraging ATPCo automation. "Over time, it became a requirement as deals were negotiated or renegotiated," said Scott Slater, Delta general manager for business development and corporate programs. "When we file fares and discounts, we are now 100 percent sure they are correct. There won't be any dilution from a misfiled agreement."
Delta, however, acknowledged isolated problems with certain booking systems. "There have been some obstacles with some corporate booking tools because they were hard-coded and did not have the capability to get the ATPCo fare filings," said Danny Bousson, Delta project manager for corporate programs. "Those have now been modified and there are no major problems."
The airlines said they had to wait for global distribution systems to develop a means to handle ATPCo's Category 25 and Category 35 fare filings
(BTN, May 12, 2003). Amadeus is the only one of the four primary GDS providers not yet accepting those feeds. Amadeus officials were not available for comment, but sources suggested the European company would be ready by this summer.