I'm pleased to share that 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, filed comments on January 23 in response to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on “Enhancing Transparency of Airline Ancillary Service Fees” (DOT-OST-2022-0109).

Travel Tech has long supported the U.S. Department of Transportation’s efforts to ensure consumers have access to critical ancillary fee information. We did so in 2014 and are doing so again in 2023. For too long, consumers have lacked the consistent ability to know the true cost of different flight options.

What's to Come

In our comments, we address how ancillary fee information should be provided to ticket agents. In its proposed rule, the DOT seeks to omit global distribution systems from receiving mandatory ancillary fee data from airlines.

Travel Tech strongly recommends that ancillary fee data be shared with all channels that distribute fare and schedule information. It is the most simple and direct way to solve the issue of ancillary fee transparency for consumers.

We've also filed a petition requesting a hearing on DOT’s proposed requirement to display the critical ancillary fee information on the first page of online search results, and we address this matter in our comments.

Our members are the leading innovators in creating consumer-friendly online travel information sites. We are deeply concerned about the DOT’s first-page search results requirements included in the proposed regulation. These rules, if adopted as written, will clutter and confuse the online air travel shopping experience for consumers. This is especially true for travel comparison sites that display multiple airlines’ schedules and fares. 

In our comments and hearing petition, we argue that the Department should not displace ticket agents’ well-established expertise with a government-regulated website design mandate. Ticket agents should have the flexibility to design appropriate displays of ancillary fees and develop innovative new methods for consumers as well.

Travel Tech Files ANPR Comments with FTC
on Fake Endorsements/Reviews

The Travel Technology Association filed comments last month with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding the value of first-hand, timely traveler reviews. The comments, in response to FTC’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, focus on how consumers benefit from the ability to make informed choices when considering travel plans.

The comments state in part that “…Reviews or other quality rankings are often incorporated into search results to help consumers find, compare, assess, and book travel-related services based on a variety of factors, including value, quality, and safety. Consumers greatly value these services, and they are a key driver for travel planning and decision-making…”

In the filing, Travel Tech also encourages the FTC to “…utilize its existing authority to combat bad actors that employ the increasingly nefarious paid review-generation sites…” or “click farms.”

Click here to view the filing. 

Travel Tech Issues Statement on Bipartisan
Omnibus Travel and Tourism Act

“On behalf of members of the Travel Technology Association, we congratulate Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) on the inclusion of their bipartisan Omnibus Travel and Tourism Act of 2021 in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden.

We look forward to working with the first Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism, a new position established by the Omnibus Travel and Tourism Act.  Technology continues to be a critical tool in supporting consumer travel discovery and facilitating bookings and entry into the US.

Our members, the leading innovators in travel technology, including global distribution systems, online travel agencies and metasearch companies, travel management companies, and short-term rental platforms, stand ready to support the new secretary and their efforts to develop and implement a new national strategy to increase travel to and within the U.S.”

– Laura Chadwick, President and CEO, Travel Technology Association

Laura Chadwick Discusses Top
Tech Trends in Travel at CES 

President & CEO Laura Chadwick appeared at the Consumer Technology Association's CES conference in Las Vegas, Nevada on Jan. 5, 2023. Laura joined the panel, entitled "Top Tech Trends in Travel," which was moderated by Travel Weekly Editor-in-Chief Armie Weissmann.