ECTAA supports the Package’s objective of making rail and multimodal travel easier to find, compare and book. It said independent travel intermediaries, including travel agents, tour operators, online travel agencies, ticketing platforms and other distributors, have a role in delivering these objectives but require appropriate market conditions.
ECTAA’s first priority is ensuring that multimodal rules apply consistently across transport modes. The association is calling for fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) conditions to apply to rail, air, coach and combinations of these modes where operators control indispensable content.
The second priority concerns access to transport content. ECTAA said travel intermediaries need fair and non-discriminatory access to fares, inventory, ancillary services and servicing functionalities in order to compare available offers. It said restricted access could limit the range of options presented to consumers, including potentially cheaper or more suitable alternatives.
The third priority is transparency in the ranking of travel offers. ECTAA supports requirements enabling consumers to understand why offers are ranked in a particular order and when prominence is paid for. The association noted that EU consumer law already requires such transparency. At the same time, ECTAA said legislation should not prescribe the default format used by every intermediary to display offers. According to the association, consumers may prioritise different criteria, including price, journey time, reliability and convenience, and intermediaries should retain the ability to develop comparison tools based on those requirements.
The fourth priority concerns the role of dominant rail platforms. ECTAA cautioned against measures that could strengthen incumbent railway operators as gatekeepers controlling customer and data access. It said requiring incumbent railway platforms to host competitors’ products could further reinforce their position in the distribution market.
ECTAA said greater visibility for competing rail offers could instead be achieved through the proposed obligation to share content on FRAND terms with platforms operated by other transport operators and with independent travel intermediaries.
“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. But you cannot have genuine comparison without access to the full range of transport content. A strong independent distribution market is essential to delivering the choice and competition European travellers expect,” said Heli Mäki-Fränti, President of ECTAA.
ECTAA is calling on the European Parliament and the Council to address the four priorities during the legislative negotiations. The association said the framework should support competition, comparison and consumer choice while making rail and multimodal travel easier to access.
Tags: Heli Mäki-Fränti, ECTAA
