Lufthansa and Swiss will introduce a £4.50 fee on all economy class bookings made through a travel agent with a payment card.
This charge will apply to both credit and debit card bookings from September 5 for short-haul and long-haul flights. The levy will not apply on any premium class bookings.
Advantage’s corporate director Ken McLeod said this move comes as no surprise, as British Airways introduced a charge on credit card bookings through agents earlier this year.
“Lufthansa and Swiss are simply realigning themselves with the largest carrier in the UK,” he said.
The Lufthansa spokesperson confirmed that the airline has a policy of following the national carrier’s lead in all European markets regarding this additional charge.
However, McLeod said that BA which only levies the fee on credit cards, not debit cards.
Lufthansa said its system is unable to distinguish between credit and debit cards, so it has to levy the charge on all economy class bookings made with any card.
McLeod said: “This latest news has been met with a sigh of frustration from our members but we are used to airlines using any method to generate more revenue.”
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