The European Travel Agents Association (ECTAA) has four demands for the EU Passenger Package: the same competition rules for different modes of transport, better access to transport companies' prices and ticket offerings, transparency about how travel alternatives are ranked, and rules that do not strengthen the position of the dominant rail platforms.
ECTAA welcomes the ambition to make rail and multi-modal travel easier to find, compare and book. At the same time, the organisation believes that independent distributors such as travel agents, tour operators, online travel agencies and booking platforms must have better access to transport companies' offers.
The organization raises four issues ahead of the European Parliament and the Council's continued consideration of the proposals.
Want the same rules for different modes of transport
The first requirement concerns the rules for multimodal travel. ECTAA believes that the principle of fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, FRAND, should be applied consistently when transport companies control content that other operators need to be able to sell and compare travel.
According to the organization, this should apply regardless of whether the trip is by train, plane, bus or a combination of several modes of transport.
Requires access to prices and tickets
ECTAA's second priority is access to transport company content. The organization believes that travel agents need to be able to access prices, ticket offerings, additional services and features to manage bookings.
Without such access, comparison services risk only showing parts of the market, according to ECTAA, which could mean that travelers miss out on cheaper or more suitable options.
“For consumers, the value of Passenger Package should be simple: more options to compare, greater transparency and an easier way to find the trip that suits you best. But real comparison is not possible without access to the full range of transport content,” says Heli Mäki-Fränti, Chair of ECTAA.
Want transparency – but not controlled ranking
The third issue concerns how travel options are presented and ranked. ECTAA supports the requirement that consumers should be able to understand why certain options are displayed higher than others and whether a placement is paid.
However, the organisation opposes rules that prescribe exactly how travel agents' standard sorting should be designed. ECTAA argues that travellers prioritise different factors, such as price, travel time, reliability and convenience, and that distributors should therefore be able to develop different types of comparison services.
Warns of stronger railway platforms
The fourth priority concerns the incumbent railway companies' own booking platforms. ECTAA warns that requiring these platforms to sell competitors' products could further strengthen their position and make them even stronger gatekeepers in the distribution market.
The organization instead advocates that transport content be made available on FRAND terms to other transport companies' platforms and independent travel agents.
ECTAA now calls on the European Parliament and the Council to take the four issues into account during the continued legislative negotiations on the Passenger Package.
