Air Malta is introducing a service fee of €10 on tickets issued to customers through its sales offices and a €5 service fee as well as a telephone charge per call for tickets issued through its call centre, the airline said.

The new charges will become applicable on October 1. No service fees will be applied for internet bookings.

The airline said that these charges will help the airline to better manage and control non-online distribution channels, which were costlier to service.

It said that 60,000 flight sectors were booked by Maltese customers from Air Malta’s portal over the past year.

It said that the portal, launched in June last year, had been steadily increasing in popularity with 22 percent of the airline’s sales now being made through this channel.

“Maltese customers are turning to our portal and making their travel arrangements online... 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”, it said.

The airline said that, in August, 2,400 customers chose their seats through the recently introduced web check-in, an increase of 77 percent 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 percent free excess luggage when purchased online, have continued to add value to the airline’s online channel.

The airline also said it will also be reducing the commission paid to travel agents from four per cent to one per cent.

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