Evidence is emerging that a move by Lufthansa to introduce a levy on all bookings via the GDS is facing procedural difficulties in some countries.
The German airline group plans to impose a Euro 16 fee (known as the Distribution Cost Charge) from 1 September on all tickets issued to travel agencies (off and online) through systems belonging to Travelport, Sabre or Amadeus.
As revealed earlier this week, the three major GDSs cannot calculate the fee as Lufthansa would like, namely, by using a ticketing fee that appears on the passenger's ticket receipt with the code OB.
In a change from the original strategy, Lufthansa says it will now automatically levy a carrier-imposed YR type fee for tickets issued from September 1 for flights on Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Swiss.
However, it turns out that this is not possible in giant South American country of Brazil.
Lufthansa would have been able to collect the OB fee from Brazilian agencies under the June-issued proposal, but the interim YR-type code "remains legally unclear" in Brazil.
No details have been shared as to why there are question marks over the legality of the YR option.
The wrinkle has forced Lufthansa to delay introducing DCC in the Brazilian market "until further notice", the company says in a statement.
The airline says the charge remains on schedule to be added to all GDS-handled bookings in all other countries.
Lufthansa will switch the collection code once "the GDSs are fully capable of displaying the OB fee", an official says via email.