Agent Groups Urge IATA to Confirm Compliance

The World Travel Agents Associations Alliance (WTAAA) said it fully supports the call by the Business Travel Coalition (BTC) for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to adhere to the new European CRS Code of Conduct in relation to the sale of distribution system information through the IATA PaxIS product. The issue directly impacts agents and their clients worldwide and is supported by ASTA.

"European regulators clearly had PaxIS in mind when, as part of the European CRS Code of Conduct, they inserted Article 7.3, providing that the marketing rules on booking and sales data apply equally to the supply of such data by CRS companies ‘to any other party for use by that party other than for billing settlement'," said WTAAA Chair Mike Hatton.

As a result of Article 7.3, agents must not be identified in either CRS Management Information Data Tapes (MIDT) or the IATA PaxIS program marketed to global airlines.

To date, IATA has not indicated that it will comply with the European CRS Code of Conduct, and there does not appear to be any evidence that the new CRS Code of Conduct has been applied by IATA to the PaxIS product, WTAA said.

WTAAA fully supports not only the call by BTC for full compliance by IATA, but also supports the initiative of  European Parliament member Brian Simpson to force such disclosure.

WTAAA members include: the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA); the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA); the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA); the Association of South African Travel Agents (ASATA); the European Travel Agents and Tour Operators Associations (ECTAA); the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ): and the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI).

Visit www.wtaaa.org.