Airlines are violating EU competition rules in their pricing, claims the European Travel Agents Association ECTAA, which is submitting a complaint to the European Commission.
The Swedish travel industry association SRF also supports the complaint, which states that the airline industry organization IATA unilaterally determines the terms and conditions for travel agencies' airline ticket sales, while the airlines themselves sell tickets directly to passengers on different terms and conditions.
”"When free competition is restricted, it is the passengers who suffer from higher prices. Many of the rules that IATA wants to maintain were decided 40 years ago. Europe's passengers need a fair regulatory framework, regardless of who the passengers buy their tickets from," writes SRF's Secretary General Anna Lennhammer in a press release.
Source: TT
