Qantas Channel Agency FAQs

The Qantas Channel is a commercial agreement between Qantas and an agency that allows access to content and offers available via the Qantas Distribution Platform. Only those agencies that have registered and have been accepted into the Qantas Channel will be eligible to access Qantas Distribution Platform content. 

The Qantas Distribution Platform, utilising IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) standards, is a technology platform that modernises airline retailing, booking and servicing capabilities, creating a better experience, new opportunities for travel agents and delivers a more personalised and seamless experience for our mutual customers. 

Qantas is working closely with a number of Approved Technology Partners to deliver the benefits of the Qantas’ NDC program, the Qantas Distribution Platform, to travel agents across the globe.

The Qantas Channel came into effect on 1 August 2019.

If your agency decides not to register for the Qantas Channel, your agency will remain in the Public Channel. This means that your agency will no longer be eligible to sell all existing Qantas published and private fares^ in N, Q, O and E class for itineraries that commence in Australia or New Zealand.

Additionally, if your agency does not register for the Qantas Channel, your agency will not be eligible to receive Qantas Distribution Platform content and will be subject to a Channel Fee per Qantas marketed flight segment (subject to certain exceptions)*.

If your agency has successfully registered and have been accepted into the Qantas Channel, your agency will be able to continue booking and ticketing with access to Qantas Distribution Platform content via your nominated Approved Technology Partner and have access to wide range of ATPCO fares via your GDS or Approved Technology Partner. Additionally, all agencies accepted into the Qantas Channel will not be subject to a Channel fee.

This will depend on how quickly your Approved Technology Partner activates your agency with their platform. Your Travel Agency Manager will need to contact and speak with your nominated Approved Technology Partner to ensure connectivity with their platform in receiving access to Qantas Distribution Platform content.  

The Qantas Channel is an evergreen arrangement that will continue until terminated by Qantas or the agency in accordance with the applicable Qantas Channel terms and conditions#. Agencies are required to advise Qantas of any changes to their agency details including changes to their GDS or technology provider, IATA, TIDS or ARC numbers and PCCs as these occur. Qantas may change the terms of the agreement from time to time by providing advance notice to agencies, at which time the agency may elect to discontinue participation in the Qantas Channel.

Qantas will not charge any fees to register for the Qantas Channel, however, agencies’ that have commercial relationships with an Approved Technology Partner may be impacted. To access the Qantas Channel, agencies may also need to reach a new commercial agreement with their nominated Approved Technology Partner.

In order to register for the Qantas Channel, each Agency, including those agencies who ticket via a consolidator, will require a TIDS, IATA or ARC accreditation in each country in which they operate. Such operation includes having a Pseudo City Code (PCC) or Office ID in that country. Agencies that do not have a valid TIDS, IATA or ARC accreditation should apply for TIDS, IATA or ARC accreditation prior to registering for the Qantas Channel. TIDS, IATA and/or ARC numbers of each agency must be supplied to Qantas at the time of registration.

TIDS is  free of charge and IATA has an online portal to verify, validate and update your agency information. For further details, please refer to IATA’s websiteOpens in a new tab or window.

No, your agency’s Qantas Agency Connect and Qantas Channel registration can only be processed with a valid TIDS, IATA or ARC number. This is the only way Qantas can identify and recognise travel agencies and ensure you receive access to Qantas Distribution Platform content.

Once you have obtained your TIDS, IATA or ARC number, you should advise also your nominated Approved Technology Partner and then register for Qantas Agency Connect and then the Qantas Channel.

Once your agency has submitted your registration for the Qantas Channel, your agency will also need to reach agreement with your nominated Approved Technology Partner to access the Qantas Channel. Once agreement is reached with your nominated Approved Technology Partner, your nominated Approved Technology Partner will need to validate your agency details with Qantas before Qantas can accept your agency into the Qantas Channel. Once Qantas has accepted your agency into the Qantas Channel, Qantas will advise the date that the agency will be able to access Qantas Distribution Platform content.

You can check the status of your registration on Qantas Agency Connect via My Agency Profile, available under the Manager Login. Within My Agency Profile, Travel Agency Managers can view the registration status including the PCCs/Office IDs that are applicable for access in the Qantas Channel.

A ‘Rejected’ status means that either Qantas has not received confirmation that your agency has reached agreement with your nominated Approved Technology Partner for more than 30 days since your initial registration or the PCC/Office ID supplied by your agency is incorrect and has been rejected by your nominated Approved Technology Partner. If access to the Qantas Channel is still required, you will need to contact your nominated Approved Technology Partner as soon as possible. There is no need for you to re-register for the Qantas Channel.

If your Qantas Channel registration status is showing as ‘Active’, this means that your agency is participating in the Qantas Channel and will be able to access the Qantas Channel from the effective date shown in My Agency Profile.

If your fare quotes reflect a YR tax, this indicates that your agency is not participating in the Qantas Channel.

If you have registered for the Qantas Channel via Qantas Agency Connect, please check your registration status via My Agency Profile, under the Manager Login on Qantas Agency Connect. Within My Agency Profile, you can view your agency’s registration status including the PCCs/Office IDs that are applicable for your agency’s access in the Qantas Channel as well as the effective date from which you can access the Qantas Channel.

If everything appears to be correct and your registration status is showing as ‘Active’, please contact the Qantas Agency Connect Team or your local Qantas office.

Note: some airlines use the YR tax code to collect fuel surcharges. If the ticket contains interline flights, this could be the reason a YR tax is showing.

You will need to contact your Agency Chain/Head Office to confirm if your office should have been included in the Qantas Channel registration process.

If your office was omitted by error, your Agency Chain/Head Office will need to contact Qantas directly to rectify this issue.

If you are not eligible to be included as part of your Agency Chain/Head Office registration for the Qantas Channel, you should register your agency for the Qantas Channel via Qantas Agency Connect.

No, all agencies require an IATA, TIDS or ARC accreditation to register for the Qantas Agency Connect and the Qantas Channel for validation and identification purposes. IATA, TIDS or ARC accreditation also enables access to various Qantas services including Qantas Agency Connect and Qantas Group Travel.

Yes, agencies wishing to register for the Qantas Channel can do so as there is no cut-off date to register.

Yes, if your current Technology Partner does not have a Qantas Channel agreement with Qantas then you will be unable to access the Qantas Channel via that Technology Partners. The list of Approved Technology Partners, which include GDS’, that can be used to access Qantas Distribution Platform content is available here. You should consult with your nominated Approved Technology Partner about your options prior to making any decision to change Technology Partner. 

Only those agencies that have registered and have been accepted into the Qantas Channel will be eligible to access Qantas Distribution Platform content. Access to Qantas Distribution Platform content is subject to your nominated Approved Technology Partner being able to deliver such content. Your Travel Agency Manager should speak to your nominated Approved Technology Partner to better understand their technical delivery timelines of Qantas Distribution Platform content.

No you cannot register for Qantas Channel without registering for Qantas Agency Connect. 

Agencies wishing to register for the Qantas Channel must first register for Qantas Agency Connect to ensure their Qantas Channel details are correct and can access other Qantas services.

Your agency will register for the Qantas Channel at Head Office level on your behalf, so your agency does not need to register your individual agency. If your agency is part of a global agency chain, you should speak to your Head Office to understand whether they will be registering for the Qantas Channel.

This will depend on whether your Head Office has entered into a Qantas Channel agreement with Qantas on your behalf. You should check with your Head Office prior to registering your agency for the Qantas Channel. If you manage your Technology Partner agreements then it is your decision to decide if you would your agency is registering for the Qantas Channel. 

Yes, if your agency tickets via a consolidator, your agency can  register for the Qantas Channel provided the consolidator has a valid TIDS number and their consolidator is also in the Qantas Channel. Please check with your consolidator prior to registering for the Qantas Channel and ensure that you nominate your relevant authorised consolidator in Qantas Agency Connect.

No, if your agency does not have an IATA, TIDS or ARC number you are unable to register for Qantas Agency Connect or the Qantas Channel.

View more information on how to locate your Customer ID to register for the Qantas Channel. Your Customer ID is not the same as your PCC/OID details.

No, the Qantas Channel agreement replaces the content commitment that previously existed between an agency and their GDS including the Competitive Booking Source (Opt-In) Program. Agencies that register for the Qantas Channel will be eligible to receive Qantas Distribution Platform content via their nominated Approved Technology Partner.

If your agency is participating in the Qantas Channel, your Travel Agency Manager will need to contact and speak with your nominated Approved Technology Partner to ensure connectivity with their platform in receiving access to Qantas Distribution Platform content.

No, agencies wishing to avoid the Channel Fee must first register for the Qantas Channel. After completing the registration process, agencies will be eligible to access Qantas Distribution Platform content (via their nominated Approved Technology Partner).

As a schedule change is not a voluntary change made by the passenger, no Channel Fee(s) will apply to the additional Qantas marketed flight segments. The ticket will require reissuing to reflect the new routing with the required authority.

As the Channel Fee applies at the time of ticketing and is based on the flights ticketed, the Channel Fee cannot be refunded in cases where a passenger is uplifted on another airline as the result of an involuntary disruption, provided the passenger accepts the offer of an alternative flight on another airline. If the alternative flight is not accepted by the passenger, Qantas will provide a full refund of the ticket (including the Channel Fee) where required under Qantas’ policies. Please refer to our Schedule Change and Disruption Policy on Qantas Agency Connect for further details.

Yes, the Channel Fee will apply to bookings created prior to your registration but ticketed on or after your registration date. For further information, please refer to the Qantas Channel Fee Policy Document available here. 

The Channel Fee is collected through a YR fee at the time of ticketing via the GDS. For further information, please refer to the Qantas Channel Fee Policy Document available here. 

If your agency is not participating in the Qantas Channel, a Channel Fee will apply to Qantas marketed flight segments (i.e. flights with a Qantas ‘QF’ flight number), subject to certain exceptions. For further information, please refer to the Qantas Channel Fee Policy Document available here. 

Yes, the Channel Fee applies to fares across all cabins and to all published and private fares. For further information, please refer to the Qantas Channel Fee Policy Document available here. 

The Channel Fee is AUD$17.50* (or equivalent amount as converted into other currencies) per segment. The currency used depends on the point of sale. For further information, please click here to view the Qantas Channel Fee Policy Document, which sets out the relevant value of the Channel Fee for each point of sale. 

Yes, if the fare is eligible for base commission, then any Channel Fee applicable to that fare will also be eligible for base commission.

The Channel Fee is applicable on a per Qantas marketed flight segment basis on all tickets issued globally, subject to certain exceptions*. For further information, please click  here  to view the Qantas Channel Fee Policy Document, which sets out the relevant value of the Channel Fee for each point of sale. 

Yes, if the booking agency is not participating in the Qantas Channel, the Channel Fee will be automatically collected through a YR fee at the time of ticketing. For further information, please refer to the Qantas Channel Fee Policy Document available here.  

Yes, the Channel Fee is applicable to Qantas marketed flight segments, regardless of the operating airline. For further information, please refer to the Qantas Channel Fee Policy Document available here.

Yes, the Channel Fee is applicable to Qantas marketed flight segments, regardless of the validating airline. For further information, please refer to the Qantas Channel Fee Policy Document available here.

Yes, the Channel Fee is applicable per Qantas flight segment on Qantas marketed flights. For further information, please refer to the Qantas Channel Fee Policy Document available here.

If you are not participating in the Qantas Channel, the Channel Fee needs to be collected for each Qantas marketed flight segment upon reissue of the ticket.

If the fare rules permit revalidation of the fare purchased by the customer and there has been no increase or decrease in the fare and/or taxes, you are able to revalidate the ticket to reflect the new flight without collecting the Channel Fee. If there has been a change in the fare and/or taxes, the ticket will need to be reissued to reflect the correct values and any applicable Channel Fee will need to be collected.

If a passenger makes a change to a ticketed booking which results in an increased number of Qantas marketed flight segments held, the ticket will need to be reissued and any additional fare, tax, carrier-imposed fees including the Channel Fee and change fee will need to be collected if applicable. The Channel Fee will only apply to Qantas marketed flight segments.

If a passenger makes a change to a ticketed booking which results in a decreased number of Qantas marketed flight segments held, the ticket will need to be reissued and any additional fare, tax, carrier-imposed fees including the Channel Fee and change fees will need to be collected if applicable. 

The residual Channel Fee can be used as credit towards any applicable additional collection including change fees. This differs by each Technology Partner, please refer to your Technology Partner Support Helpdesk for further information

Note - the Channel Fee is only applicable if your agency is not participating in the Qantas Channel.

Yes, the Channel Fee is fully refundable on any unused Qantas marketed flight segments or completely unused tickets, regardless of whether the fare is refundable. Please refer to the Qantas Refund Policy for further information about applying for a refund.

No, if the Channel Fee applies at the time of ticketing because the agency is not participating in the Qantas Channel, the Channel Fee will not be refunded should the agency subsequently become a Qantas Channel participant.

An ADM will be raised to the ticketing agent who does not collect the applicable Channel Fees using the YR code if the booking agency is not a Qantas Channel participant. The ADM will be raised for the value of the Channel Fee plus the applicable administration fee.

Agencies that are not participating in the Qantas Channel will no longer be eligible to sell all existing Qantas published and private fares in N, Q, O and E class for itineraries that commence in Australia or New Zealand. If your agency books and issues a ticket in an ineligible class, the fare will be raised to an S class fare level and the agency will receive an ADM for the fare difference plus the administration fee. 

Agencies that are not participating in the Qantas Channel will no longer be eligible to sell all existing Qantas published and private fares in N, Q, O and E class for itineraries that commence in Australia or New Zealand. Flights booked in an ineligible class by an agency not in the Qantas Channel will be cancelled by Qantas. You will need to rebook these flights in a class which the agency is eligible to book.

If an agency elects not to participate in the Qantas Channel, they will remain in the Public Channel and will need to facilitate all Group Travel quotes, bookings and ticketing within the Qantas Group Travel website, if available in your region. No Channel Fee will be applicable to bookings created and ticketed within the Qantas Group Travel website, regardless of whether the agency is a Qantas Channel participant.

No, if your agency is not participating in the Qantas Channel and the Group Travel website is available in your region then your agency cannot claim these bookings. Your agency will need to quote, book and ticket all Group Travel bookings within the Qantas Group Travel website.

Yes, you can continue booking your groups via the Qantas Group Travel website, if available in your region. A Channel Fee will not be applicable to bookings created and ticketed within the Qantas Group Travel website, regardless of whether your agency is a Qantas Channel participant or not.

Yes, as the Group Travel Website is not available in your region to quote, book and ticket all Group Travel bookings, your agency can continue to claim group bookings made by the Qantas Office and ticket as your agency currently does today. The Group Travel team in your region will include any applicable Channel Fee in your Group quote.

An agency who is not participating in the Qantas Channel will automatically be levied a Channel Fee of $17.50 AUD (or equivalent currency) per Qantas marketed segment. This will appear as a YR tax code in the booking. The booking agency queues the booking to its wholesaler or consolidator (who may or may not be in the Qantas Channel) with such wholesaler or consolidator being responsible for collecting the Channel Fee.

(a)  If the wholesaler or consolidator is in the Qantas Channel:  if the wholesaler or consolidator reprices an itinerary from a booking agency who is not participating in the Qantas Channel, it is possible the Channel Fee may not automatically be included at the time of repricing. The wholesaler or consolidator can verify if the booking agency is in the Qantas Channel by checking a list provided by Qantas on a weekly basis. This list includes, for those booking agencies who have nominated the wholesaler or consolidator as their ticketing agency, all PCC’s or OID’s that are in the Qantas Channel. If the wholesaler or consolidator does not collect the Channel Fee, the wholesaler or consolidator will be issued with an ADM for the value of the Channel Fee (an admin fee may apply).

(b)  If the wholesaler or consolidator is not in the Qantas Channel: both the wholesaler or consolidator and booking agencies must be in the Qantas Channel to avoid the Channel Fee. The Channel Fee must be collected if the wholesaler or consolidator is not participating in the Qantas Channel, even if the booking agency is.

For cyber security and privacy reasons, Qantas is only able to provide the PCC’s of agencies in the Qantas Channel. agency name, IATA and further details cannot be provided via email.

The list of PCC’s or OIDs for those booking agencies who have nominated the wholesaler or consolidator as their ticketing agent, is refreshed on a weekly basis and sent to designated contacts at wholesalers and consolidators on Mondays.

Booking agencies are required to nominate their wholesaler or consolidator via Qantas Agency Connect. Even if a booking agency has joined the Qantas Channel, the agency must designate the wholesaler or consolidator via its IATA number. Once this is done in Qantas Agency Connect, the linkage between booking agency and wholesaler or consolidator is immediate; however the list is sent only a weekly basis to wholesalers or consolidators.

Booking agencies must go to Qantas Agency Connect and login as the Travel Agency Manager. Within the tab ‘My Agency Profile’ go to option for ‘Consolidator or Ticket Centre’ and indicate the agency IATA, ARC or TID’s number for the applicable wholesaler or consolidator.

Yes, the list is a final source of verification for the wholesaler or consolidator to determine if a Channel Fee should be collected. If the wholesaler or consolidator tickets for a booking agency not in the Qantas Channel without collecting the Channel Fee, they will be issued with an ADM for the value of the Channel Fee (an admin fee may apply).