Do GDS Contracts Inflate Airfares? A Few U.S. Majors Say Yes

Next month, Lufthansa Group will begin selling its "best fares" exclusively through direct channels. British Airways, too, has plans to withhold some price points for short-haul fares from the traditional agency channel. Several major U.S. airlines would like to do the same, if only they weren't bound by global distribution system contract provisions that Lufthansa, BA and other European airlines have declined.