New Travel Distribution Association To Lobby European Policy Makers

A new industry body set up to lobby European Union institutions on behalf of travel distributors is making the International Air Transport Association's controversial PaxIS marketing intelligence resource one of its first campaign targets. A statement to be released next week by the European Technology & Travel Services Association will call for subjecting the PaxIS data system to the same constraints on data privacy for corporate clients and travel agents as global distribution systems.

Like IATA, GDSs also sell marketing intelligence about ticket sales to airlines. However, the revised EU Computerized Reservations System Code of Conduct, which came into effect on March 29, requires GDS to mask any data that could reveal purchases made by specific corporate clients or their agents. ETTSA is unhappy that IATA has declared PaxIS not covered by the code and therefore potentially not obliged to mask details in the same way.

"We are concerned that the code of conduct should apply not only to GDSs but also to PaxIS," ETTSA secretary-general Tom Parker told EuroBTN. "We suspect PaxIS will not respect privacy unless this issue is clarified."

Founder members of ETTSA include the three leading GDS companies—Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport—as well as Ebookers, Expedia and Opodo. Initially, the association is lobbying on three issues: measures introduced by airlines to prevent online travel agencies from making price comparisons; the CRS code of conduct; and what it describes as "airlines' abusive preferred fares and surcharge schemes." The first chairman of ETTSA is Tomas Lopez Fernebrand, vice president and chief legal officer for Amadeus.

"There are a lot of things going on in the market that are not being communicated clearly to people in Brussels," said Parker. "We want to make them understand the value intermediaries bring to end-consumers."