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.
On Tuesday, May 16th, Laura Chadwick, Travel Tech’s President & CEO, served as a panelist on airline consumer protections at the Consumer Assembly event hosted by the Consumer Federation of America. Chadwick spoke alongside panelists Heather Ansley, Associate Executive Director of Government Relations at the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and John Breyault, Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud at the National Consumers League, and moderator Lori Aratani, reporter at the Washington Post. Chadwick acknowledged the pandemic’s exacerbating effect on pre-existing issues for air travel consumers and shared how Travel Tech works to solve these issues by advocating for public policy that supports transparency and competition to empower traveler choice. Chadwick detailed Travel Tech’s efforts to educate policymakers about ticket agent concerns regarding the U.S. Department of Transportation’s ongoing rulemakings on ancillary fees and refunds and the upcoming FAA reauthorization by Congress.
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About Travel Tech
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) empowers traveler choice by advocating for public policy promoting 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.
At the recent U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) hearing on its proposed “Enhancing Transparency of Airline Ancillary Service Fees” regulation, Laura Chadwick, Travel Tech President and CEO, submitted a coalition letter signed by U.S. Travel, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), Hopper, and Sabre to express their shared concerns about the proposed rule’s first-page search results requirement. Chadwick noted during her testimony that this letter demonstrates “in one document the many stakeholders who take issue with this part of the proposed rule.” Recently, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) joined this letter as a signatory as well.
Across their written comments to the Department, these organizations detailed how the mandatory inclusion of ancillary fee information on the first-page of search results would negatively impact consumers. In the letter submitted by Chadwick, they collectively ask the Department to allow for flexibility and innovation in how ancillary fee information is presented to consumers so long as it is early in the purchase process.
Federal Advisory Committee Lacks Ticket Agent Representative
The Travel TechnologyAssociation (Travel Tech) submitted supplemental comments regarding the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) proposed “Enhancing Transparency of Airline Ancillary Service Fees” rulemaking. In these comments, Travel Tech provided its response to the recommendations made by the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee and recent survey findings cited by Laura Chadwick, Travel Tech President & CEO, during the Department’s recent hearing on the proposed rule.
In its supplemental filing, Travel Tech responded to ACPAC’s recommendations regarding the DOT’s proposed rules on ancillary fees; GDS access to ancillary fee information; change and cancellation rules; data sharing; and proposed compliance timeline. You can read Travel Tech’s supplemental filing here.
“Travel Tech welcomes every opportunity to share our knowledge about empowering traveler choice in written comments, presentations, meetings, testifying, and beyond,” said Chadwick. “Our member companies are the foremost experts in supporting millions of consumers every year in their travel planning. The input we provide is not only effective but technically feasible too. It will lead to better travel experiences for all.”
The DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (“ACPAC”) convened on January 12, 2023, to make recommendations on the Department’s “Enhancing Transparency of Airline Ancillary Service Fees” rulemaking. Membership of ACPAC is limited by law to four representatives: an air carrier representative; an airport operator; a law enforcement officer; and a consumer advocate.
Travel Tech continues to advocate that a Ticket Agent representative be added to the membership of ACPAC. Doing so will expand the advisory committee’s industry knowledge base and improve the quality of its recommendations. In a recent white paper on its 2023 FAA Reauthorization priorities, Travel Tech advocates that Congress amend the law governing ACPAC membership.
“New ideas and perspectives are needed right now to improve airline travel for consumers. Ticket agents, which include online ticket agents and metasearch engines represented by Travel Tech, can offer ACPAC deep technical expertise and long-standing commitment to innovation,” said Chadwick.
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
Advocates for Ancillary Fee Website Display Flexibility
The hearing, separately petitioned for by both Travel Tech and Airlines for America, focused entirely on the proposed rule’s requirement that critical ancillary fees must be shown on the first page of search results alongside fare and schedule information. Today, additional optional services, including checked bags, specific seat selection, and carry-on bags, are presented to consumers early in the flight search process.
“Travel Tech firmly believes that our member companies are best positioned to innovate and determine how ancillary fee information should be presented to consumers,” stated Chadwick. “In addition to our written comments and those of our members, we pursued this hearing because we are concerned about the deep impact this proposed first-page search results requirement would have on consumers. This is especially true for those shopping on travel comparison sites that display hundreds of flight combinations across a multitude of different airlines.”
In its rationale for the proposed first-page search results requirement, the DOT cited that “because most passengers travel once per year or less, they may not be aware of certain ancillary service fees, such as those related to seat selection.” However, in an online survey commissioned by Travel Tech of over 1,000 U.S. American adult consumers from March 24-26, it was found that:
Nearly 90% of all U.S. adults know they may have to pay additional fees for optional services beyond the cost of their airline ticket, including Baby Boomers at 92% and 87% of the so-called “Silent Generation” (adults aged 78-95).
60% of U.S. adults have used travel comparison sites, and of those who likely use Travel Tech member websites, 96% of consumers know they may have to pay additional fees for optional services (e.g., checked bags, specific seat selection, carry-on bag, etc.) beyond the cost of their ticket.
Consumers’ satisfaction with travel comparison sites was closely tied to how fares are currently presented on these sites and their ability to get relevant flight information quickly and easily.
Chadwick, in her testimony, observed that, “Consumers know that critical ancillary fees are now a part of travel – they expect these fees and know that they are optional services and not required. There are no surprises here. As such, there is no need to overload the first-page search results with the extra information this rule would require.”
Hearing witnesses from Travel Tech member companies Amadeus, Priceline (as part of Booking Holdings), and Skyscanner shared their expertise with the DOT, testifying to the technical infeasibility of the proposed first-page search results requirement. Their testimony, along with other witnesses, can be accessed here.
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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.
Testimony of Laura Chadwick, President, and CEO Travel Tech
March 30, 2023 – Public Hearing – U.S. Department of Transportation’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Enhancing Transparency of Airline Ancillary Service Fees
TOPIC 1
Whether Consumers Are or Are Likely To Be Substantially Injured or Misled by Airlines’ Current Disclosures of Ancillary Service Fees
I am Laura Chadwick, president and CEO of the Travel Technology Association, also known as “Travel Tech.” Our mission is to empower traveler choice. To do so, we bring together travel innovators to promote transparency and competition through education and advocacy. Our members include online ticket agents, metasearch engines, global distribution systems, travel management companies, and short-term rental platforms. I am proud to be a witness today alongside member companies Priceline, as part of Booking Holdings, Skyscanner, and Amadeus.
Thank you to the Department for granting Travel Tech’s petition for this hearing to discuss the proposed “Enhancing Transparency of Airline Ancillary Service Fees” rule, specifically regarding its requirement that critical ancillary fees must be shown on the first page of search results. We took this extra step of filing this hearing petition because we strongly hold that Travel Tech member companies are best positioned to determine how ancillary fee information should be presented to consumers. You will hear from three experts from Travel Tech member companies later today who testify to the intense efforts that their companies pursue to serve the needs of their consumers.
Travel Tech, as it did in 2014, supports this rulemaking. Advocating for transparency for consumers is who we are and what we do. It’s in our member companies’ DNA – transparency was a driving force behind the founding of their companies years ago to support consumers.
But before we can address issues relating to how critical ancillary fees can and should be presented to consumers, we must discuss the critical ancillary fee data itself. This is so important because the transparency of ancillary fee data is impossible without permanent access to the data in the first place.
Travel Tech and our member companies strongly agree with the Department’s finding that consumers are or are likely to be substantially injured or misled by airlines’ current disclosure of ancillary service fees. And we likewise agree with the DOT’s proposed requirement that critical ancillary fee data must be provided by airlines. It is indeed unfair and deceptive that consumers purchasing their tickets through the indirect channel do not have guaranteed access to critical ancillary fee information. Ticket agents, however, cannot provide to consumers what ticket agents do not themselves have – that is, the fee data itself.
Now, to whom critical ancillary fee data is provided is a different story. As we extensively detail in Travel Tech’s written comments, we strongly believe the Department must alter its proposed rule and require airlines to provide critical ancillary fee data to all intermediaries the airlines use to distribute their schedule and fare information. This includes providing the ancillary fee data to global distribution systems.
Travel agents of all sizes greatly rely on Global Distribution Systems to provide schedule and fare information from across the 400 airlines operating around the world. It’s hard to overstate how essential GDSs are in facilitating comparison shopping on Travel Tech members’ consumer-facing sites.
Allowing airlines to skip over GDSs and provide the ancillary fee data directly to ticket agents – as the proposed rule currently states – will have a tremendous impact on a ticket agent’s ability not only to digest but also then display critical ancillary fee information, much less so on the first page of search results. Ticket agents today have no existing infrastructure whatsoever to match ancillary fee data with the schedule and fare data provided to them by the GDSs. It will take years of work and massive investments to build these duplicative capabilities and not the six months that the Department has proposed. The years of work needed to make this happen will greatly delay the achievement of the overall goal of this rulemaking: providing transparency of critical ancillary fees to consumers.
Witnesses from Travel Tech members will highlight how difficult displaying critical ancillary fees would be without the involvement of GDSs in addition to their technical expertise about the Department’s proposed first-page search results requirement.
Thank you.
TOPIC 2
Whether Disclosures of Itinerary-Specific Ancillary Fees at the Time of First Search Will Result in the Display of Incomplete or Inapplicable Ancillary Fee Information, Cause Consumer Confusion, and Distort the Marketplace
Thank you again to the Department for granting this hearing and for the opportunity to speak today.
Travel Tech, in its written comments and in our hearing petition, expressed its deep concerns about the Department’s proposed first-page search results requirement. As I stated earlier, we took this extra step of filing a hearing petition because we strongly hold that Travel Tech member companies are best positioned to determine how ancillary fee information should be presented to consumers.
This proposed rule would mandate that carry-on and checked baggage fees, change and cancellation fees, and family seating fees be shown in text only on the first page of search results. It would specifically ban the use of rollovers or web links. This provision would apply to both airline and ticket agent sites.
You will hear from true experts on flight search display from Travel Tech members today. They will provide great detail about the technical infeasibility of this provision. They will also speak directly to the deep impact it would have on consumers, especially those shopping on travel comparison sites that display hundreds of flight combinations across a multitude of different airlines.
I want to take a moment to highlight the other organizations – beyond Travel Tech and the airlines – that submitted comments on this proposed rule and what they said about this first-page search results provision.
The US Chamber of Commerce wrote, “…Without the ability to display fee information via pop-ups or roll-overs, the strict and prescriptive display requirements required under the NPRM would have the effect of bombarding consumers with irrelevant fee and fare information on a single webpage, making ticket agent webpages difficult to navigate and cluttered.”
US Travel stated, “Additionally, more and more consumers are utilizing mobile devices rather than web browsers to make travel plans. Increasing the amount of required information to be shared during the purchase process on smaller screens will lead to an inferior user experience, increased consumer frustration and the type of information overload that diminishes consumer interest and comprehension.”
The Global Business Travel Association is “concerned by the sheer volume of proposed ancillary fee information on the first page creating confusion for travelers. The requirement to include all information on the first page may actually have a negative effect, as screen real estate is consumed by ancillary fee information, reducing the number of available flights able to be displayed in a single webpage, and requiring substantially more search time to compare options.”
And even the AARP submitted comments and wrote, “However, without additional guidance, there is the potential that displaying all fees in the same place as the fare could be visually overwhelming for some consumers, adding confusion rather than reducing it.”
And there are further comments noting concern about the first-page search results beyond what I have now presented. Today, Travel Tech is submitting a letter signed by US Travel, the US Chamber, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), Hopper, and Sabre to the docket to demonstrate in one document the many stakeholders who take issue with this part of the proposed rule.
The rationale of this first-page search results requirement – as described in the NPRM’s “Need for a Rulemaking” section – was quote “because most passengers travel once per year or less, they may not be aware of certain ancillary service fees, such as those related to seat selection.” According to the Department and per consumer advocates, consumers continue to be surprised by these optional services, and therefore, all critical ancillary fees must be shown on the first page of search results along with schedule and fare information.
We at Travel Tech were “curious, not judgmental” about this conclusion and wanted to hear directly from consumers about what they knew about ancillary fees and their understanding of optional services, like checking bags or selecting a seat.
To do so, Travel Tech fielded an online survey of over 1,000 U.S. adult consumers from March 24-26, a few days ago. The topline results that I will now share were weighted to be representative of the overall population.
Our survey found that nearly 90% of all U.S. adults know they may have to pay additional fees for optional services beyond the cost of their airline ticket. This includes Baby Boomers at 92% and 87% of the so-called “Silent Generation” (adults aged 78-95).
We found out that 60% of U.S. adults have used travel comparison sites, and of those who likely use Travel Tech member websites, 96% of consumers know they may have to pay additional fees for optional services (e.g., checked bags, specific seat selection, carry on bag, etc.) beyond the cost of their ticket.
Further, we found that consumers’ satisfaction with travel comparison sites was closely tied to how fares are currently presented on these sites and their ability to get relevant flight information quickly and easily.
We asked and consumers told us that they use travel comparison sites to compare airline flight costs (as intended!)
And then we asked consumers all the reasons why they stop using websites, 50% said because the website was difficult to navigate, 49% said the page took too long to load and 40% said was too hard to use.
Lastly, we asked consumers about whether they’d like to purchase ancillary fee services on the same travel comparison sites where they purchased their airline ticket, and 86% said yes.
These results are clear evidence – even though they may travel once a year or less – that consumers are incredibly aware of the existence of critical ancillary fees. Not too many consumer surveys reach numbers of 96% awareness. Consumers know that critical ancillary fees are now a part of travel – they expect these fees and know that they are optional services and not required. There are no surprises here. As such, there is no need to overload the first-page search results with the extra information this rule would require.
TOPIC 3
Whether Disclosures of Itinerary-Specific Ancillary Fees at the Time of First Search Will Result in the Display of Incomplete or Inapplicable Ancillary Fee Information, Cause Consumer Confusion, and Distort the Marketplace
Thank you again to the Department for granting Travel Tech’s hearing petition and for the opportunity to speak today. I have greatly enjoyed hearing from all of the witnesses on this matter of first-page search results. We greatly appreciate references and call-outs from other companies and organizations about how much more difficult this proposed provision would hit the independent channel, which shows consumers fares from a multitude of different carriers all at once.
I appreciate Andrew Applebaum’s observations about Expedia’s website. We are glad that you are pleased with how ancillary fee information is presented today. However, if you are pleased today, then I must ask why do we need this first page search results provision?
I also wanted to address John Breyault’s testimony regarding Travel Tech’s petition. He says that we could ask for consumer data at the search input screen. This is not what the proposed rule would require. Further, this proposed change from the proposed rule would face the same exact technical infeasibility issues that the first-page results do, which you will hear about in great detail from the witnesses from Travel Tech member companies.
Right before lunch, we heard from Corey Vezna of Priceline, and prior to that Jay Richmond from Amadeus and Katie Hinchin of Skyscanner. And we are pleased to hear Jay and Corey speak once more today on question 3. But all three of these experts in flight search from Travel Tech members have already touched on the technical infeasibility of the proposed first-page search results requirements and its negative impact on consumers.
I wanted to quickly take an opportunity to share thoughts from another Travel Tech member company who were unable to join us at this hearing today.
Glenn Wallace, head of product of technology at Fareportal, and previously a founding employee at Expedia, told me that, “The pricing permutations of flight schedule, fare type/cabin, and specific seats are huge, and requiring that all options and therefore all combinations are shown at the first page will place a huge computing and communication burden on industry systems, and lead to slower page retrieval times, larger web pages, and materially slower page loading times.”
Thank you again.
Read Travel Tech’s Testimony from the DOT’s Hearing on First-Page Search Results Provision
December 21, 2024 – Laura Chadwick, President and CEO of the Travel Technology Association, released the following statement regarding the removal of the Hotel Fees Transparency Act (S.2498) along with other commerce-related bills from the Continuing Resolution passed by Congress late Friday night: “Travel Tech is disappointed that Congress did not include the Hotel Fees […]
