Effective April 1, 2009, Delta and Northwest / KLM will align their GDS booking policies and fees. However, the two airlines have noted that they will continue to manage their debit memo processes as separate entities – at least until further notice. Northwest will continue to issue debit memos in the same manner it does today and Delta will begin to issue its debit memos through ARC’s Memo Manager. Delta stopped processing debit memos through ARC Payment Express at the end of 2008.

The new consolidated, yet lower booking violation fees are $3.50 per passenger per segment or $15 per segment depending on the nature of the violation, plus a $50 administrative fee per debit memo. Violations charged at the $15 level are billed per segment, regardless of whether there are multiple passengers in the Passenger Name Record (PNR) segment. As a result, a duplicative booking violation with Delta for a PNR containing a family of four with four segments will be $110 ($15 x 4 segments + $50 administrative fee = $110). Previously Delta charged $3.50 per passenger per segment or $50 per passenger per segment depending on the nature of the violation with no administrative fee. Northwest/KLM previously charged $3.50 per passenger per segment, plus a $75 administrative fee per debit memo. Under Delta’s old fee schedule, a violation for the same family of four as described in the previous example was $800 ($50 x 4 segments x 4 passengers = $800).

The consolidated airlines’ GDS Booking Policies primarily focus on violations associated with Inactive, Passive, Duplicate, Fraudulent, Fictitious, Speculative, Invalid Name Change and Churning. Further information, including details on “How to Avoid Booking Policy Violations”  and a list of Frequently Asked Questions can be found by visiting Delta’s Online Agency Service Center or Northwest’s agency Web site WorldAgent Direct.