Airfare Allegations Arise Again: ATAB Warns of Renewed Ticket Syndication

The Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) has alleged that airfare pricing has once again fallen into the hands of syndicates, driving ticket prices beyond the reach of migrant workers and general passengers. In a press release issued on Saturday, July 12, the organization expressed concern that prices are continually increasing due to a lack of legal action and warned of further hikes in the near future.

ATAB reported that during the months of December, January, and February, air tickets on routes from Dhaka to Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah, and Dammam were sold under the guise of “group bookings” for nearly BDT 100,000, while system-generated fares ranged between BDT 170,000 to BDT 180,000. This, despite a circular issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism on February 11, which aimed to curb soaring prices and bring discipline to the ticketing system. That directive required bookings to be made with the passenger’s name, passport details, and a copy of the passport, resulting in a temporary decline in ticket prices.

However, ATAB claims that certain Middle Eastern budget airlines and syndicate groups have become active again, defying government orders and resuming exploitative practices.

The press release further states, “Some airlines make bookings under fake names. These tickets are later altered with real passenger names just a day or two before the flight. In violation of government directives, airlines, Global Sales Agents (GSAs), and ticket syndicates are again engaging in advance ‘group bookings’ without passenger names. They are artificially creating seat shortages, leading to an abnormal rise in airfares.”

ATAB warned that these practices are severely harming ordinary passengers, travel agency businesses, and the aviation sector as a whole.