ECTAA calls for reformed EU passenger package

ECTAA has set out four priorities for the Passenger Package
The priorities have included multimodal rules and content access
FRAND conditions have been called for across transport modes
Transparency in ranking travel offers has been supported
ECTAA has cautioned against strengthening dominant rail platforms

ECTAA has called for a Passenger Package that delivers real choice for consumers following the European Commission’s adoption of the Passenger Package in May. The organisation has set out four priorities to ensure the proposals deliver more choice, genuine transparency, easier comparison and better access to rail and multimodal journeys. ECTAA has supported the Package’s ambition to make rail and multimodal travel easier to find, compare and book.

ECTAA says Independent travel intermediaries including travel agents, tour operators, online travel agencies, ticketing platforms and other distributors are essential to achieving these ambitions. Multimodal rules have needed to be truly multimodal with fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory conditions applying consistently across transport modes where operators control indispensable content. It contends that travel intermediaries require fair and non-discriminatory access to fares, inventory, ancillary services and servicing functionalities.

ECTAA has cautioned against turning dominant rail platforms into stronger gatekeepers that would control all customer and data access.

Heli Mäki-Fränti shared “For consumers, the real value of the Passenger Package should be simple: more options to compare, greater transparency and an easier way to find the journey that suits them best.”