IATA has committed to
reviewing its Agency
Programme, saying
transformation in all
aspects is necessary for the
association to stay relevant.
The association was
speaking at its Global Media
Day held in December.
The programme, which
travel industry communities
around the world have
previously described as
outdated and biased towards
airline objectives, is being
reviewed by a task force
meeting for the first time this
month.
Aleks Popovich, Iata’s
senior vice president,
financial and distribution
services, told TNW the
association was serious
about reforming the Agency
Programme. “This forms part
of our objective to transform
the association and become
more relevant in all aspects.”
Iata has established a
Passenger Agency Review
Task Force, with the first
meeting scheduled to
meet on January 28. Aleks
says the task force’s three
objectives have been
signed off by both Iata
and the involved agency
associations.
The first objective
involves making changes
to governance of the
programme. Aleks says in
order to stay relevant to
agents, TMCs, corporates,
technology companies and
payment solution providers,
listening posts must be
established to understand
the voices of these different
sectors. “We want to be
more collaborative,” he says.
Secondly, the Agency
Programme must be
standardised and simplified,
says Aleks, which is a
challenge as Iata operates in
180 different markets, each
operating with its own laws
and procedures.
Finally, the task force will
attempt to address some
of the mounting agentairline relationship issues.
Aleks says Iata is eager
to listen to the viewpoints
of agents, OTAs, TMCs
and consolidators through
agency associations.
Otto de Vries, ceo of
Asata and chairman of
the WTAAA Air Committee,
told TNW the WTAAA had
submitted its expectations
in terms of outcomes, which
include the substantial
overhaul of governance of
the Agency Programme.
“If the task force does
not move in this direction
we will reconsider our
involvement with it,”
says Otto.
