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Kazakhstan’s major airline Air Astana introduced a service charge for issuing tickets for international flights in sales offices and agencies starting from June 1, Interfax-Kazakhstan reports. “The service charge for issuing tickets for international flights will be introduced in Air Astana sales offices in Almaty, Astana and Atyrau, in airport officers and the Call Center on June 1, 2012. Such charges will be applied in addition to the published rates for all the international flights of the air carrier,” the company’s message states. The service charge will make from 1 to 11 thousand tenge ($7 to $74), depending on the flight range and the booking class. The service charge will not be applied to local flights. The message states that in addition, Kazakhstan tourist agencies will be able to independently fix the service charge for issuing tickets for Air Astana’s international flights staring from June 1, 2012. Such charge may differ from the charge used in the company’s sales offices. The company notes that the service charges are not new to Kazakhstan. “Starting from 2010, European air carriers like KLM, Lufthansa and BMI have been using the international practice of charging for issuing tickets in Kazakhstan. Air Astana has been using this model in European countries like Great Britain and Germany since March 2007,” the message states. The company notes that passengers who have access to the Internet can use self-service to buy the tickets on the company’s website, where the service charge will not be applied. For the passengers’ convenience, the website will now have an option of changing the reservation and online tickets return. Air Astana is a joint company of Kazakhstan National Welfare Fund Sumruk-Kazyna and a British company BAE Systems (51 percent and 49 percent, respectively). The company serves over 31 international and 22 local flights. Air Astana is part of the so-called first echelon of the companies with state participation with part of its shares to be sold through the People’s IPO program. The company’s shares are to be listed in 2013.
Kazakhstan’s major airline Air Astana introduced a service charge for issuing tickets for international flights in sales offices and agencies starting from June 1, Interfax-Kazakhstan reports.
“The service charge for issuing tickets for international flights will be introduced in Air Astana sales offices in Almaty, Astana and Atyrau, in airport officers and the Call Center on June 1, 2012. Such charges will be applied in addition to the published rates for all the international flights of the air carrier,” the company’s message states.
The service charge will make from 1 to 11 thousand tenge ($7 to $74), depending on the flight range and the booking class. The service charge will not be applied to local flights. The message states that in addition, Kazakhstan tourist agencies will be able to independently fix the service charge for issuing tickets for Air Astana’s international flights staring from June 1, 2012. Such charge may differ from the charge used in the company’s sales offices.
The company notes that the service charges are not new to Kazakhstan. “Starting from 2010, European air carriers like KLM, Lufthansa and BMI have been using the international practice of charging for issuing tickets in Kazakhstan. Air Astana has been using this model in European countries like Great Britain and Germany since March 2007,” the message states.
The company notes that passengers who have access to the Internet can use self-service to buy the tickets on the company’s website, where the service charge will not be applied. For the passengers’ convenience, the website will now have an option of changing the reservation and online tickets return.
Air Astana is a joint company of Kazakhstan National Welfare Fund Sumruk-Kazyna and a British company BAE Systems (51 percent and 49 percent, respectively). The company serves over 31 international and 22 local flights.
Air Astana is part of the so-called first echelon of the companies with state participation with part of its shares to be sold through the People’s IPO program. The company’s shares are to be listed in 2013.