As much as we might all want fee-free travel again, that’s one holiday wish that is unlikely to be granted.
Now that airlines have figured out that passengers will pay extra for seat assignments, food, checked luggage, and priority lines, the only question is: What will they charge for next?
But in addition to the whole issue of having to spend extra for things that used to be free, there is the problem of keeping track of all those extras. This problem is worst for business travelers, who need to submit expense reports. But even as a leisure traveler, it would be nice just to pay it all upfront and know the price.
Now IATA (International Air Transport Association) has announced a deadline for airlines to make that a reality, by setting a three-year deadline for airlines to comply with what they call EMD standards.
EMD stands for Electronic Miscellaneous Documents. These new standards would allow “ancillary” service fees to be charged by both travel agents and airlines.
In addition, presumably these could be charged at time of ticketing, instead of now where one airline trip could end up with several different charges.
The charges would then show up on an “e-coupon” attached to the ticket showing what has been paid. Presumably, too, the e-coupon could be printed as a record, either for expenses, or proving at the airport that fees were prepaid.
EMDs, once implemented, would be a major boon for anyone paying for another person’s ticket, whether a company doing it for a consultant or interviewee, or say, a parent purchasing a flight home for a student.
And from a travel agent point of view, it would be simpler for clients to prepay a premium seat or baggage fee. On the other hand, more charges mean more potential refund hassles if something goes wrong. And then there is the whole issue of what if a traveler gets part but not all of what they paid for, ie – a good seat only on the first segment and then a middle seat in back due to a aircraft change.
Some airlines and reservations systems, along with ARC (Airlines Reporting Corporation, basically the airline-agency settlement bank), have indicated they are already working on this kind of software, but having it become mandatory cannot help but speed the process along.
There is also the whole Pandora’s Box of travel agencies being able to build their service fee right into the price of the ticket — but that’s a whole other post.
In any case, the one almost unquestioned bright spot is that in a few years we will be past the days of a one simple airline trip meaning a pocketful of receipts, or rather a receipt or two in your pocket, another in your wallet, another….somewhere.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
