As from the 1st of October, Air Malta will be introducing a service fee of €10 on each ticket issued to customers through its Sales Offices, while each ticket issued from its Call Centre will be subject to a €4 service fee and a telephone charge per call of €1.10 per call from landlines and €1.40 per call from mobile telephones, which will be introduced in the coming weeks. The airline will also be reducing the commission paid to travel agents from 4% to 1%. However, Air Malta said it has taken a conscious decision not to add any service fees when bookings are made through its internet booking engine on www.airmalta.com.

Air Malta said, “through Air Malta’s portal we are empowering customers to be in charge of the reservation process and package their travel itinerary and related services from the comfort of their home or office. Our customer research clearly shows that the online customers enjoy empowerment and the ability to organise travel arrangements themselves.”

The airline explained that this new distribution channel strategy that is being adopted is in line with what other airlines have already implemented in these last few years. The strategy reflects the market conditions and the need to appropriately manage the costly distribution channels. It also reflects the dynamic nature of the airline business where increasing costs and falling revenues are continually adding pressures on airlines worldwide.

We know, however, that other customers would prefer to pay something extra in order to have such services done by a professional agent. We are not turning a blind eye to these customers and we will continue to offer personalised services through non-online channels. However, in order to better manage and control non-online distribution channels, which are costlier to service, these new charges are to be introduced.

Over the past year, since the launch of the revamped Air Malta portal, 60,000 flight sectors have been booked by Maltese customers from the airline’s portal, www.airmalta.com. The portal, launched in June last year, has been steadily increasing in popularity whereby 22% of the airline’s sales are now being done through this channel.

“Maltese customers are turning to our portal and making their travel arrangements online through the airline’s portal www.airmalta.com. We are continuing to invest in our online distribution channels and supplementing them with innovative technologies to enhance our passenger experiences. Our portal presents Air Malta customers with a simple and transparent method without resorting to hidden charges. We are continuously working to offer a one-stop-shop of travel related products on airmalta.com,” commented an Air Malta spokesperson.

The Airline concluded by saying that “the recently introduced web check-in, whereby customers can choose their seats from the comfort of their home, was enthusiastically received by Air Malta customers. Last August, 2,400 passengers utilised this service, an increase of 77% over the previous month. Other recently introduced online services such as booking of hotel accommodation in Malta and abroad, purchase of travel insurance cover, and the 50% free excess luggage when purchased online, have continued to add value to the airline’s online channel www.airmalta.com. Customers have also found Air Malta’s booking engine easy to use and have commented positively on the engine’s calendar view of ticket prices that assists them to choose the best value for money flights available at the time of booking.”

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