Travel Associations Seek Corp. Contracting Clarifications In Oneworld Immunity Request

The American Society of Travel Agents and the Interactive Travel Services Association have asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to request further information from Oneworld carriers in their bid to gain antitrust immunity. ASTA and ITSA are seeking specific plans from American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia and other Oneworld applicants regarding how they would structure and monitor contracts with corporate clients, distribution suppliers and travel agencies.

ASTA and ITSA are seeking specifics on "how corporate and travel agency contracts are obtained, managed and evaluated" and how corporate and agency revenue is evaluated by the Oneworld carriers. The associations also asked DOT to request from the carriers any documents "concerning the degree to which corporate and travel agency contracts require customers to guarantee exclusive travel among airlines or partners" and information on "the volume of traffic required to justify a corporate and travel agency contract and the methods for pricing such contracts."

In the Nov. 21 filing, posted today in the DOT docket, ASTA and ITSA noted that DOT requested similar information from Star Alliance carriers in their bid for antitrust immunity, which still awaits DOT approval.

The travel associations said the Oneworld "proceeding should not be allowed to move forward until the joint applicants have submitted additional evidentiary materials and documents similar to that information the Department required in the pending Star (Alliance) application, and the interested parties have had an adequate opportunity to review these answers and materials."

Meanwhile, the two associations in a separate filing asked DOT to extend the comment period for the Star Alliance antitrust immunity request by two weeks to Dec. 11, noting that DOT's deadline for the Star Alliance proceeding was "shorter than it previous scheduling orders in similar proceedings."