This American Society of Travel Advisors Eben Peck, executive vice president for advocacy, testified before the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee on Thursday DOT’s Proposal that will require airline and Travel Advisor to increase transparency of surcharges on flights to, from, and within the United States, including “offline” transactions, such as over the phone.
In his testimony, Peck touched on two specific topics, including the disclosure of additional fees, such as baggage fees, and possible problems with the portion of the proposed rule requiring travel advisors to explain additional fees, and why airlines should need to distribute The system (GDS) provides information on ancillary charges.
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“ASTA has long believed that regardless of the channel through which they choose to book their travel, consumers should have full transparency regarding the price of their airfare and the cost of optional ancillary services, as well as the ability to purchase these services (‘transactional’),” Peck said .
Ancillary Fees and Agency Liability
Part of the proposed new rules is for those making offline bookings, such as by phone or in person, which many consultants do, Explain Carrier Surcharges even before booking.
“During a specific contact (phone call or visit), the department advises ticket agents or carriers not to wait until after a consumer has decided to book or purchase a ticket to disclose baggage fees, change fees, cancellation fees, or family seat fees that may apply,” The proposal said.
“Instead, disclosures will be required when predetermined information is provided to consumers during the ‘information’ and ‘decision’ portions of the conversation,” the proposal explains. “Essentially, there will be no compliance if a carrier or ticketing agent provides a fare quote over the phone or in person without the applicable baggage, change, cancellation and family seat fees.”
Peck thinks it would take too much time for consultants, and his solutions include making this kind of information available on request rather than mandatory, or creating a system on the DOT’s website where consultants can refer their clients to read all fee operations business.
Additional Fees within GDS
The proposed bill asks whether air carriers should be required to share their ancillary costs within the GDS.
“Our take on this is, clearly, yes, if a carrier is currently distributing fares through the GDS, the department should require that,” Peck said. These are what our members use to search, compare and Tools to book flight tickets etc… Also, if not through GDS, then how will this information be transmitted? Direct connections between hundreds of airlines and tens of thousands of travel agents? In our opinion, there is a tool in the market to transmit That information — we should use it.”
This proposal was originally created on September 26, 2022. It’s unclear when any formal revisions will be made, or when they will be enacted.
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