What Corporate fare means
Companies that spend heavily with an airline can negotiate better terms, usually through a request for proposal and a signed corporate travel agreement. In return for discounts, the company may commit to a share of its travel or a spend level. Duffel's documentation for developers notes that corporate negotiated fares require a direct contract between the corporate client and the airline.
Corporate fares sit inside the wider family of private fares: they are hidden from the general public and visible only to authorised sellers and travellers. What makes them corporate is that they are tied to one company's agreement rather than to an agency or market.
Loading has changed over time. A Business Travel News report from the mid-2000s described airlines moving from agency-loaded corporate fares to filing them directly through ATPCO, often as fare-by-rule formulas, with GDS tools still used for carriers that did not file every account. Today an airline may file the deal in ATPCO, load it for specific agency PCCs or IATA numbers, or expose it through its NDC API.
Access is controlled by codes. Finnair, for instance, gives agencies a pricing code to use in the GDS or the corporate code field in NDC, and requires a client ID element in the booking. In Duffel's API, airlines such as American and United need both a corporate code and a tour code.
Many contracts also include non-fare benefits, such as American Airlines' preferred seats and priority services for eligible corporate travellers identified by an SSR CLID entry.
How Corporate fare works
A corporate fare passes from contract to filing to booking, and each step adds a control the agency must respect.
- Negotiate the agreementThe company and airline agree discounts, routes, cabins and any spend or share targets, usually through an RFP led by the travel manager.
- Airline loads the dealThe airline files the fares or discount rules through ATPCO, its own systems or NDC, and restricts them to the company's codes and authorised agencies.
- Codes are shared with the TMCThe airline or company passes the account, pricing or corporate code, and any tour code or client ID, to the travel management company.
- Agent prices with the codeThe booking tool or agent adds the code to the pricing request so the negotiated fare is returned alongside public fares.
- Ticket carries the referenceAt ticketing the tour code, ticket designator or client ID required by the contract is added, so the airline credits the sale to the company.
Corporate fare in practice
Verified airline instructions (check current versions):
| Airline | What the agency must do |
|---|---|
| Finnair | Price with the corporate pricing code; add the client ID as an SSR CLID element, for example SR*CLIDAYHK/AYXXX123YY in Amadeus. Missing client IDs may lead to an ADM. |
| American Airlines | Enter the contract tour code in the SSR CLID field, for example 3CLIDAA/IN0000XX in Sabre; the ticket must also carry the tour code. |
Illustrative. A Dubai engineering firm agrees a 12% discount on an airline's flexible economy fares between Dubai and London. The TMC's booking tool sends the firm's corporate code in each search, the discounted fare appears next to public fares, and the ticket carries the airline's tour code for that contract. The figures and route are invented.
Who uses it
Advantages and limitations
Advantages
- Lower or more flexible fares for the company's business travel on agreed routes.
- Extra benefits such as priority services can be included in the same agreement.
- Airlines gain predictable volume from the corporate customer.
- Codes let negotiated fares appear in normal search alongside public fares.
Limitations
- Only works if the right codes are entered on every booking; airlines do not always reject wrong codes at search time.
- Missing tour codes or client IDs can lead to debit memos and lost credit towards targets.
- Each airline uses its own codes and formats across GDS and NDC channels.
- A negotiated fare is not always the cheapest available fare on a given day.
Frequently asked questions about Corporate fare
How does a company get corporate airfares?
Usually by negotiating directly with each airline, often through a request for proposal run by the travel manager or TMC. The airline looks at the company's spend and routes and offers discounts in a corporate travel agreement. Once signed, it issues the codes needed to access the fares.
What is a CLID in airline bookings?
CLID is a client ID entered as a special service request in the PNR to identify the corporate customer. Finnair requires its corporate client code as an SSR CLID, and American Airlines asks agencies to enter the contract tour code there so eligible travellers receive corporate benefits.
Why are corporate fares not showing in the GDS?
Common causes are a missing or mistyped code, a code that is not yet active, or a PCC or IATA number that the airline has not authorised. Finnair, for example, lists typos, missing airline prefixes and codes not yet activated among frequent reasons for failed entries.
Can corporate fares be booked through NDC?
Yes, where the airline supports it. In NDC the corporate code is sent in the offer request. Finnair says moving from EDIFACT to NDC does not require reloading corporate fares, and aggregators such as Duffel accept corporate and tour codes for airlines including American and United.
Run your agency on one booking platform
ReservationHub's Subscription Cloud Edition gives agencies GDS, NDC and low-cost content, B2B and B2C sales, and back office in one hosted platform.
See the SaaS platformSources and further reading
- Duffel — Accessing corporate private fares
- Finnair — Corporate fares for travel agents
- American Airlines SalesLink — Corporate booking instructions and CLID FAQs
- Business Travel News — GDSs, airlines tout corporate fare filing
- Travelport — Distinguishing private, web and Cat 35 fares (developer notes)