Air Malta's Valletta sales office closing down

Air Malta is to close Valletta sales office in Freedom Square, but its airport counterpart will double in size by November 1 offering a wider array of travel services, the airline said yesterday.

News of the closure comes in the wake of Friday's announcement that a €10 and €5 service fee will be levied on each ticket purchase from Air Malta's sales offices and call centre respectively, as well as a telephone charge per call.

Air Malta general manager marketing Brian Bartolo attributed the closure of one of the airline's three sales offices to the fact that business in the capital city was on the decline and that companies were moving out, while he said that over 90 per cent of tickets today were electronic.

The parking issue and the uncertainty of the City Gate project further prompted the decision to close the Valletta sales office.

Mr Bartolo said staff at Valletta would be redeployed to the airport office, which is being modernised and would benefit from better parking facilities.

He said the airline was redesigning the service it offered since it was developing a travel shop concept.

The airport sales outlet, which Mr Bartolo said was popular, would continue operating on a 24/7 basis, offering additional services.

Mr Bartolo said the airline's decision to introduce the service charge was based on the practice of other legacy carriers, as well as an acknowledgment of "different clients, who are empowering themselves to make their own travel arrangements".

Improved usage of its website to book flights - from two per cent to almost 25 in the last 18 months - was also a factor.

Given the change in the type of client, he said the airline was "basically redesigning its distribution channels according to what is happening around us".

Asked whether Air Malta believed the fee would hinder those who preferred traditional booking channels, Mr Bartolo said the airline was aware of these clients but felt it had to move with the times.

Travel agencies had, in any case, been charging a higher service fee for some time now, he said.