One of the sales behaviors of airline tickets bundled with Air insurance once issued by the CIRC

Once by the CIRC issued a call to stop the air tickets bundled aviation insurance sales behavior, changed a nominal, and quietly comeback.

A few days ago, the consumer Miss Kim (alias) to the "China Business newspaper," the reporter reflected in the Ctrip to buy tickets, was forced to bind the aviation insurance, and purchase tickets after the formal itinerary can not be reimbursed.

The reporter to Ctrip to verify this matter, get the response is, this ticket marked with "travel package" words, for the combination of air tickets and other tourism products portfolio tourism products, there is no bundled sales or increase sales problems.

However, senior industry practitioners to this newspaper reporter said, this is actually a trick in the industry, playing is "edge". "The so-called travel package, the main product is air tickets, excluding any travel products, passengers must be in Ctrip gift cards, aviation accident insurance, travel coupons Among the three choose one, this is not mandatory bundle sales is what?" ”

In the industry, Ctrip forced tying air insurance because of interest-driven. 30 yuan Accident insurance, Ctrip can take away 24 yuan, Ctrip by reducing ticket prices to increase sales, and then tying the new model of insurance is more than the old mode of selling tickets alone more profit.

Mandatory choice of "travel packages"

A few days ago, the consumer Miss Kim (a pseudonym) to the reporter, in Ctrip buy tickets, the results found, was forced to bind the aviation insurance, and purchase tickets after the formal itinerary, can not be reimbursed, after the sale of problems.

On Weibo, reporters found that similar situations were not uncommon. Many netizens reflected in Ctrip on the ticket, received reimbursement voucher is travel agency invoices, no itinerary, can not reimbursement ticket. To customer service after the deal is a trip package, there is no itinerary list.

Reporters on the Ctrip found that there is indeed the situation. Search from Chengdu to Shenzhen June 18 air tickets, jumped out the first search results are Sichuan Airlines 3u8701 flight 43 percent of the ticket, the discount price is 611 yuan, followed by "travel package" words. Click in, the package is attached with 30 yuan "Ctrip Gift card", 30 yuan "aviation accident Insurance" and the original price of 60 yuan, 30 yuan "travel coupons", and must choose one to buy tickets. The price of Sichuan Airlines is 47 percent, 660 yuan for the same flight.

The reporter to Ctrip to prove this matter, Ctrip's explanation is, there is no bundling sales or increase sales. Ctrip said, "Travel package" products for the combination of air tickets and other tourism products portfolio tourism products, is ctrip in order to meet customer demand for one-time booking and select some of the holiday channel products to the ticket channel for sale. and air ticket combination includes aviation accident insurance, travel coupons, gift card optional, according to the different routes of the choice of the package type is also different.

The Ctrip also said that no need to purchase other travel products at the same time guests can choose "Business optimization" and other products, choose the same route of other non-package tickets.

For why did not provide itinerary, Ctrip said, "Travel package" products are different from ordinary individual purchase of air tickets products, but similar to tourism products. In the tourist holiday product, although also has the airplane itinerary, but does not provide the itinerary alone, but provides the full invoice, "The travel package" also is this. If the guest confirms that it must be reimbursed by itinerary, it is recommended to select "Business optimization" to provide separate ticket products for itinerary.

But senior industry practitioners told reporters, from the package content, the main product is the ticket, does not include travel tickets, hotels and other products, in fact, discount ticket binding costs. "Ctrip is just a different denomination to avoid regulatory risk." ”

It is already a common practice in the industry to have tickets forced to be bundled. As early as in 2013, the CIRC issued a moratorium on the sale of insurance notice, especially stressed that the masses reflect the outstanding air tickets, train tickets, car tickets and other sales links forced tying short-term accident insurance issues.

Aviation law expert Gaff Huai said, bundled sales activities are suspected to violate the regulations of the CIRC and the laws and regulations of the Insurance law, violate the consumer's right to choose, in the "Insurance law" in violation of the voluntary principle of insurance contract, if consumers have objections to this mode of sale, you can go to the consumer association or China Airlines To safeguard their legitimate rights and interests.

Benefit Considerations behind

By "where" and other competitors of the crackdown, ticket market competition is fierce, now the price of domestic tickets has been more transparent, the prices of agents to get the difference is generally small. In order to rob customers to raise sales, each agent will often come up with their own commission income to the customer, with a lower price to attract customers. But for Ctrip such a large listed Ota, let out 1 points of profit is tantamount to a large amount of income. So Ctrip's approach is: to attract customers low prices, through the sale of insurance and vouchers to make profits back.

According to industry sources, Ctrip has a large part of the profit from insurance agents. To Ctrip such a scale, get the premium amount of 80% or even higher proportion as a proxy commission is already an open secret. That is to say 30 yuan accident insurance, Ctrip take away 24 yuan, insurance company take 6 yuan. Ctrip increases sales by lowering fares, and the new model of tying insurance is more profitable than the old model of selling tickets alone.

And tying the Ctrip gift card, travel coupons are equivalent to Ctrip "advance", although it can be used to offset Ctrip prepaid scenic tickets, hotels and tourism products, but to Ctrip sales, you can precipitate a large amount of money, resulting in huge cash flow, investment income and capital turnover convenience and other benefits. Moreover, many users are in fact only in Ctrip purchase tickets, do not actually use such vouchers.

In fact, the insurance premium of Ctrip is also high. Take the cost of a domestic insurance company for example, 1 million yuan insurance coverage of the aviation accident risk, the period of one year, no limit on how many flights, every time there is protection, the premium is only 40 yuan. and Ctrip sold 1 million yuan insurance coverage of aviation accident insurance, only to protect one flight (about 1-5 hours), the premium will be 30 yuan.

On the other hand, Ctrip in order to fight with rivals price, but also must attract some small agents to get low fares stationed, tying air insurance, which can also be taken out of a certain part to small agents.

As a tradition of a single large Ota, previously Ctrip's ticket to proprietary products. But by the competition's low fare strategy impact, Ctrip ticket business has slipped. After Liang Jianzhang return Ctrip, Ctrip began to change the practice. In order to deal with the price war, Ctrip air ticket business began to implement an open platform strategy, in addition to proprietary products, but also introduced a number of supplier products.

"Ctrip hopes to attract customers by offering the same low-priced products as their competitors," he said. Ctrip insiders told reporters. In fact, this practice also does have the effect, Ctrip 2013 annual earnings show, Ctrip air ticket business continued strong growth in 2013 years, ticket business volume for three consecutive quarters to maintain more than 30% high-speed growth. However, due to the open platform of the potential regulatory loopholes, will be ctrip in the coming time to face the problem.