ANAT: Plane tickets to become 20-100 euros more expensive

The price of aeroplane tickets will be increased by 20 to 100 euros as a result of the cut in the commission Tarom airline pays to travel agencies as of July 1, the chairperson of the National Association of Travel Agencies (ANAT), Lucia Moraru, told Mediafax yesterday.

“The reduction of the commission granted by Tarom to agencies that sell plane tickets from 7% to 1% will lead to a significant rise in the price of the plane tickets in Romania as of this date (July 1). At present, the average price per customer for an economy class ticket is 350-400 euros, but current estimates suggest that the increase might be as much as a 100 euros in some cases,” Moraru added.

She explained the reduction of the commission would not come with a drop in the price of the tickets for Tarom flights, and travel agencies would have to add taxes to cover their expenses.

Tarom maintains that the reason for these changes is the necessity to achieve the financial results set in the agreement with the World Bank, but according to the ANAT chairperson, this reason has no justification.

“Tarom has an operating income of 11 million euros to make this year and the total value of the commissions granted to agencies stands at a mere 500,000 euros for six months,” Lucia Moraru explained.

In addition, the measure taken by the national company will see the other airline operators in Romania follow suit, which are now offering a 7% commission.

Travel agencies generate 72% of Tarom”s total ticket sales, with the rest derived through the airline”s own offices.

“We are even more outraged by such an approach, considering that the leaders of ANAT were made a firm verbal promise by the current Transports Minister Gheorghe Dobre that the commissions granted to agencies would not be cancelled,” ANAT”s open letter adds.