On Wednesday, July 19th, the Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) sent a letter to Congress to express its support for H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, in advance of the U.S. House of Representatives’ vote on the legislation later this week. H.R. 3935 will reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and related aviation programs for the next five years. It includes several key provisions sought by Travel Tech to improve airline travel for consumers and support the Travel Tech member companies that serve them.
Travel Tech’s letter, however, noted its opposition to the inclusion of Section 701 of the bill, which repeals the DOT’s long-standing Full Fare Advertising Rule. This rule requires that the entire price for airfare, including taxes and fees, be disclosed to consumers in the first instance following an itinerary search. Laura Chadwick, Travel Tech’s President & CEO, argued that, “Its repeal will undermine consumers’ ability to effectively comparison shop and choose the best travel option to meet their needs and budget.”
On Thursday, July 13th, Laura Chadwick, President & CEO of the Travel Technology Association, was featured alongside John Breyault from the National Consumers League in an NBC News story about efforts to repeal the Full Fare Advertising Rule. Under the current rule, the Department of Transportation (DOT) requires any advertised airfare to include the total cost to the consumer for the ticket, including all applicable government taxes/fees and any mandatory carrier-imposed surcharges. However, a provision in the House FAA Reauthorization bill would eliminate this requirement and instead allow airlines to advertise ticket prices without including government taxes and other required fees.
Chadwick and Breyault both expressed concerns over efforts to change this rule. As Chadwick stated, “You can’t comparison shop on the checkout page. It’s essential to put that information up front, the first place where consumers see the airfare.”
“Travel is expensive,” Chadwick also said. “We believe consumers should have the most information upfront so they can make effective decisions, comparison shop for the best value, and feel good about their purchases in the end.”
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) empowers traveler choice by advocating for public policy that promotes marketplace transparency and competition. Travel Tech represents the leading innovators in travel technology, including global distribution systems, online travel agencies, metasearch companies, travel management companies, and short-term rental platforms.
To schedule an interview with a Travel Tech spokesperson, contact Dan Rene of kglobal at 202-329-8357 or daniel.rene@kglobal.com.
Key Provisions Impacting the Travel Technology Industry Included
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech), the voice of the travel technology industry and consistent advocate for public policy that supports a competitive and transparent marketplace, applauds the introduction of the House and Senate’s FAA Reauthorization bills.
“We thank the leaders of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee for their exceptional efforts on the FAA Reauthorization. Travel Tech released its top priorities for this legislation earlier this year. Both bills feature key provisions that we expressly advocated for to better support travelers and the Travel Tech member companies that serve them,” stated Laura Chadwick, president, and CEO of Travel Tech.
The House legislation includes critical language relating to the refund obligations of ticket agents, a top Travel Tech priority. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), in its proposed Airline Ticket Refunds and Consumer Protections rulemaking released late last year, sought to require ticket agents to make refunds to customers within seven days, even if the funds had not yet been returned by the airline. Travel Tech successfully advocated for bill language that would require a refund only when such ticket agent possesses, or has access to, the funds of a passenger.
“Simply put: our members can only refund what they have in their possession. The DOT’s proposed rule on the timing of refunds places ticket agents in a precarious financial position, no matter their size, having to make refunds without first receiving the customers’ funds back from airlines. We are glad the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee heard us and included this sensible provision in their draft bill. We will work hard to ensure this provision and our other priorities are included in the final legislation passed by Congress.”
The House version of the FAA Reauthorization legislation will also add a “ticket agent” representative to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (ACPAC). Last week, Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), John Garamendi (D-CA), Marc Molinaro (R-NY), and Julia Brownley (D-CA), introduced standalone legislation, H.R. 3780 — the ACPAC Modernization Act, to do the same.
“We’re pleased to be included as a formal representative on ACPAC as well the new Passenger Experience Advisory Committee,” Chadwick said. “This recognition of the travel technology industry’s unique expertise comes at a critical time and reinforces the pivotal role our members contribute to enhancing the travel experience.”
“We are also grateful to see our point of view on ancillary fee display flexibility affirmed in the Senate legislation. Our members are the pioneers in consistently supporting consumer access to information to allow them to make informed decisions and know the total costs involved as they make travel plans,” stated Chadwick.
Earlier this year, Travel Tech submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation on their proposed “Enhancing Transparency of Airline Ancillary Service Fees” rulemaking. Travel Tech also filed a hearing petition to challenge the DOT’s requirement in the rule to display the critical ancillary fee information on the first page of online search results, and presented key public opinion survey results to support their position.
About Travel Tech
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) empowers traveler choice by advocating for public policy that promotes marketplace transparency and competition. Travel Tech represents the leading innovators in travel technology, including global distribution systems, online travel agencies, metasearch companies, travel management companies, and short-term rental platforms.
To schedule an interview with a Travel Tech spokesperson, contact Dan Rene of kglobal at 202-329-8357 or daniel.rene@kglobal.com.
On Monday, June 5th, the Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech), launched its new Travel Tech Policy Action Center to offer industry members a means to communicate directly with their elected representatives and show support for key Travel Tech public policy priorities.
The inaugural action asks industry members to tell their member of Congress to co-sponsor H.R. 3780, the ACPAC Modernization Act, which would add “Ticket Agents” to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (ACPAC). This is one of Travel Tech’s major priorities for the FAA Reauthorization legislation that must pass Congress by September 30th.
Congresswoman Dina Titus (D, NV-01) and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R, FL-12), chairs of the House Travel & Tourism Caucus, along with Rep. Marc Molinaro (R, NY-19), Rep. John Garamendi (D, CA-08), and Rep. Julia Brownley (D, CA-26), introduced H.R. 3780, the ACPAC Modernization Act on June 1st.
About Travel Tech
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) empowers traveler choice by advocating for public policy that promotes marketplace transparency and competition. Travel Tech represents the leading innovators in travel technology, including global distribution systems, online travel agencies, metasearch companies, travel management companies, and short-term rental platforms.
To schedule an interview with a Travel Tech spokesperson, contact Dan Rene of kglobal at 202-329-8357 or daniel.rene@kglobal.com.
ACPAC Modernization Act Will Benefit Consumers and Lead to Better DOT Policy
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech), the voice of the travel technology industry and consistent advocate for public policy that supports a competitive and transparent marketplace, applauds the introduction of legislation today that would add ticket agent representatives to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (ACPAC).
The legislation, introduced by Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), John Garamendi (D-CA), Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and Julia Brownley (D-CA), would allow ACPAC to garner the unique and critical perspectives of ticket agents who support millions U.S. of travelers.
It’s why earlier this year, Travel Tech stated its primary policy priority as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act was to have Congress “amend the law to add a Ticket Agent representative to ACPAC to expand its industry knowledge base and improve the quality of its recommendations, ultimately benefiting consumers.” The term “Ticket Agent” is defined in law as “a person (except an air carrier, a foreign air carrier, or an employee of an air carrier or foreign air carrier) that as a principal or agent sells, offers for sale, negotiates for, or holds itself out as selling, providing, or arranging for, air transportation.” (49 U.S.C. § 40102(a)(45)).
In response to the introduction of this important legislation, Laura Chadwick, president CEO of Travel Tech, stated:
“On behalf of Travel Tech’s membership, I am grateful to Rep. Dina Titus and Rep. Gus Bilirakis, chairs of the House Travel & Tourism Caucus, along with Reps. John Garamendi, Marco Molinaro, and Susan Brownley for introducing the ACPAC Modernization Act. By adding ticket agents to the US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (ACPAC), Congress will better equip the advisory committee to address growing airline customer service issues.
Online ticket agents sell approximately 50% of all airline tickets to consumers every year, putting them in the distinctive position to share a deep knowledge and understanding of refunds, ancillary fees, and cutting-edge technology. Our important perspective has been missing at ACPAC. The technical expertise and long-standing commitment to innovation by Travel Tech members will strengthen efforts to support airline customers.”
ACPAC represents the nearly 700 million airline passengers that fly in the U.S. each year. Unlike many other federal consumer-focused advisory groups, the committee is currently comprised of just four members – an air carrier representative, an airport operator, a state or local government representative, and a consumer advocate.
About Travel Tech
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) empowers traveler choice by advocating for public policy that promotes marketplace transparency and competition. Travel Tech represents the leading innovators in travel technology, including global distribution systems, online travel agencies, metasearch companies, travel management companies, and short-term rental platforms.
To schedule an interview with a Travel Tech spokesperson, contact Dan Rene of kglobal at 202-329-8357 or daniel.rene@kglobal.com.
White Paper Submitted to House Transportation & Infrastructure and Senate Commerce Committees
The Travel TechnologyAssociation (Travel Tech), the voice of the travel technology industry and consistent advocate for public policy that supports a competitive and transparent marketplace, released its priorities for the upcoming Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization by Congress. The priority list and related justification for the recommendations are contained in a white paper submitted to the U.S. Senate’s Commerce Committee and U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.
“The upcoming reauthorization of the FAA gives Congress a very timely opportunity to improve air travel for their constituents. Travel Tech members provide air travel booking services for millions of consumers each year,” said Laura Chadwick, President and CEO of the Travel Technology Association. “Our priorities for the reauthorization — ensuring ticket agents are a part of the US Department of Transportation’s consumer protection efforts, providing travelers with ancillary fee information early in the booking process and making timely refunds — are aligned with Congressional efforts.”
Specific Travel Tech priorities include:
Congress should amend the law to add a ticket agent representative to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Airline Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (ACPAC) to expand its industry knowledge base and improve the quality of its recommendations, ultimately benefiting consumers.
Congress should allow ticket agents and airlines to have the flexibility to design appropriate displays of ancillary fees, which will allow for the development of more innovative methods of transparency for consumers.
Congress should provide guidance to the U.S. Department of Transportation that all entities that airlines use to distribute their faresshould receive ancillary fee information to provide consumers with the quickest, most direct solution to ancillary fee transparency.
Congress should continue to recognize the distinction between corporate travel agents and other types of ticket agents and again provide guidance to U.S. Department of Transportation that corporate travel agents should be exempted from the proposed rule.
Congress should affirm the U.S. Department of Transportation’s current policy on refund timing and advise the Department to abandon its proposed new policy.
Congress should support consumers by allowing ticket agents the flexibility to offer the purchase of ancillary fee-based services on their sites.
Congress should be aware that customer complaints against ticket agents continue to be a fraction of those filed against airlines, active rulemakings are already addressing customer service market failures, and a competitive, independent marketplace of ticket agents continues to provide consumers with a multitude of options to seek better customer service practices.
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) is the voice of the travel technology industry, advocating for public policy that promotes transparency and competition in the marketplace to encourage innovation and preserve consumer choice. Travel Tech represents the leading innovators in travel technology, including global distribution systems, online travel agencies and metasearch companies, travel management companies, and short-term rental platforms.
To schedule an interview with a Travel Tech spokesperson, contact Dan Rene of kglobal at 202-329-8357 or daniel.rene@kglobal.com.
Travel Technology Association Releases 2023 FAA Reauthorization Priorities
Thursday, September 19, 2024 — Earlier this week, the Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) hosted a virtual webinar featuring experts from Wiley Rein, LLC to offer information and insights about the FTC’s final rule on combatting fake and deceptive reviews and what it means for travel technology companies. The panelists provided an overview of the […]
