Service fee set to boost Air Malta's online booking

In an evident move to boost online bookings, Air Malta will, as from October 1, introduce a service fee of €10 on each ticket issued to customers through its sales offices, and each ticket issued from its call centre will be subject to a €5 service fee and a telephone charge per call that will be introduced in the coming weeks.

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

The airline 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.

Over the past year, since the launch of the revamped Air Malta portal, 60,000 flight sectors were booked by Maltese customers through www.airmalta.com. The portal, launched in June last year, has been steadily increasing in popularity, with 22 per cent of the airline's sales now being done through this channel, the company said.

Air Malta said the recently-introduced web check-in, whereby customers can choose their seats from the comfort of their home, was enthusiastically received by customers. Last August, 2,400 passengers utilised the service, an increase of 77 per cent over the previous month.

Other recently-introduced online services, such as the booking of hotel accommodation in Malta and abroad, the purchase of travel insurance cover and the 50 per cent free excess luggage when purchased online, have continued to add value to the airline's online channel, Air Malta said.