Consolidated and direct discounting (of Tickets)

[chornedsnorkack]

Consolidators and consolidator tickets are said to exist for the following reason: airlines are forbidden to lower full fares below certain pretty high level, and IATA also forbids direct discounting. However, IATA allows sale of discounted tickets if it is through consolidators.

Some airlines do seem to have the right to discount directly. Do those have any use for consolidators?

[PAXboy]

Good question - which I cannot answer!!


I only suggest that the reason this cockamamie system continues is that all the various comapnies and branches of the 'ticket tree' - all have customers. Over the years before Loco and Web selling, the 'bucket shops' built up their biz and became legit. Nowadays, the carrier is pretty much happy to sell the ticket from any branch of the tree that they can. Whilst they have been through the period of trying to cut back on the agents, I think that they have found that all the branches contribute to the well being of the tree,