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Three major US carriers have been accused of a lack of transparency after altering domestic fares without notice.
Members of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) criticised United Airlines, Delta and American for all changing fare structures on multi-city trips without any advance communication to corporate travel managers.
“This represents a major faring change requiring transparency throughout the buyer community,” the Washington-based organisation said.
“While recent airline statements indicate that these changes were the result of unintended consequences of new combinable fare restrictions, we will now survey our members to verify that the issue has been resolved to their satisfaction.
“In today’s travel ecosystem, active communication is necessary and vital. To that end, GBTA believes there should be full transparency with regard to any changes before and during the travel experience, including new supplier policies or travel process time and delays.”
The association said it had been in “active contact” with members of the US Congress over the issue.
“Both business travellers and travel buyers should have access to clear information across the spectrum as to how prices are determined, how to deal with delays, cancellation policies and how to lodge complaints, the GBTA said.
“Going forward, GBTA will continue to work with the airlines, our members and other organisations to ensure buyer voices are heard on key issues related to transparency and competition.”