Fares & pricing Travel technology glossary

Private farePrivate (negotiated) airline fare

Also called negotiated fareunpublished farecorporate fareconsolidator farespecial fare

Definition

A private fare is an airline fare that is not available for general sale and can only be sold or used by authorised parties, such as a contracted travel agency, consolidator or corporate client. Access is controlled through account codes, sales restrictions or negotiated fare security in the fare filing.

What Private fare means

Airlines negotiate special pricing with partners who bring volume or reach particular markets. Those fares are filed as private, so they stay hidden from sellers who are not part of the deal. Travelport describes private fares as negotiated fares filed by either airlines or agencies, and distinguishes airline private fares from agency private fares.

Private fares cover several commercial arrangements. Corporate fares are discounts negotiated for a company's travellers and are usually unlocked with an account code at pricing. Consolidator and agency fares are given to an intermediary to resell, often as net fares that the seller marks up. Some airlines also file web or promotional fares in private tariffs for specific channels.

In ATPCO data, Category 15 Sales Restrictions and Category 35 Negotiated Fare Restrictions are the main tools for securing private fares. Category 35 can restrict who may view, sell, ticket and reissue a fare, down to individual agency locations such as a PCC. Fare by Rule (Category 25) can also create private fares as a discount from a base fare.

The result is that two agencies searching the same flight can see different prices, which contrasts with a published fare that is the same for everyone.

How Private fare works

A private fare starts with a commercial agreement and ends with a fare that only the contracted parties can price.

  1. NegotiationThe airline agrees discount levels, markets and conditions with a corporate client, agency or consolidator.
  2. Private filingThe airline, or an authorised agency, files the fares in a private tariff with account codes or Category 15 and 35 security.
  3. AuthorisationSpecific agency locations or account codes are granted access to view, sell and ticket the fares.
  4. PricingWhen an authorised seller prices a booking, with the account code where required, the engine returns the private fare alongside public options.
  5. Ticketing and reportingThe ticket is issued with any tour code or ticket designator required, so the airline can track and audit use of the agreement.

Private fare in practice

Illustrative. A manufacturing company negotiates a 12 percent discount on economy fares between Dhaka and Singapore with one airline. The airline files a private fare linked to the company's account code. When the company's TMC prices a trip and enters the account code, the discounted fare appears; an agent without the code only sees the airline's published fares.

Separately, the same airline gives a consolidator net fares on the route. The consolidator sees them because its office is authorised in the Category 35 security table, adds a markup and resells them to sub-agents.

Who uses it

Corporate travel buyersCompanies negotiate private corporate fares to reduce travel spend on routes their staff fly often.
ConsolidatorsConsolidators hold private and net fares and distribute them to smaller agencies that have no direct airline agreement.
Travel agencies and TMCsAgencies use private fares to offer prices competitors cannot match and must make sure account codes are applied correctly.
AirlinesAirlines use private fares to win volume in specific markets without lowering their public price levels.

Advantages and limitations

Advantages

  • Airlines can target discounts to valuable customers without changing public prices.
  • Contracted agencies gain price advantages that help them compete.
  • Security in the filing lets airlines control who can sell and ticket each fare.

Limitations

  • Misuse, such as selling to ineligible travellers, can lead to debit memos or loss of the agreement.
  • Private fares often have tighter conditions, such as restricted changes or specific ticketing instructions.
  • Different filing methods across systems make private fares harder to display and compare consistently.

Frequently asked questions about Private fare

How does a travel agency get access to private fares?

Through an agreement with the airline, a corporate client or a consolidator. The airline then authorises the agency's locations or provides an account code, so the fares appear when that agency prices a booking in its GDS or booking tool.

Is a corporate fare the same as a private fare?

A corporate fare is one type of private fare. It is negotiated for a specific company and usually unlocked with an account code. Private fares also include agency, consolidator and channel-specific fares that are not tied to one company.

Why do two agencies show different prices for the same flight?

One agency may have access to a private or net fare that the other does not. Service fees, markups and the point of sale can also change the final price, even when both sell the same seat.

What is an account code in airline pricing?

An account code is an identifier sent at pricing to unlock fares tied to a particular agreement. It applies to the whole journey and lets the system return only the private fares the requester is entitled to.

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Sources and further reading

  1. Travelport — Air pricing by fare type (Universal API help)
  2. Travelport — Cat35: Negotiated Fares
  3. Travelport — Cat25: Fare By Rule
  4. Travelport — Distinguishing private fares, web fares and Cat 35 fares (developer notes)