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Booking charges cut by easyJet after talks

EASYJET HAS cut its GDS booking charges following angry objections from corporate travel buyers and their travel management companies.

The fee has been reduced from around £5, to a fixed charge of £3.30 per passenger. The decrease followed top-level representations from the Guild of Travel Management Companies and the Institute of Travel Management.

EasyJet maintained that its fares were so low it could not afford to absorb the GDS charges; travel managers argued that corporate travellers, usually booking at the last minute, rarely qualified for the lowest headline fares.

Caroline Strachan, chairman of the Institute of Travel Management, said: "While we would have liked to have seen fees removed entirely, easyJet is to be applauded for taking the time to consult with our members. We hope that any business travel supplier will follow suit when making a decision with a substantial impact on travel management costs."