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IATA asks agencies for permission on data
March 30, 2012

IATA is asking business travel agents to agree for their data to continue being passed on to third parties.

The association has sent a letter to agencies across Europe asking for agreement for them to continue to be identified on IATA’s current Paxis system and forthcoming DDS product.

This information includes agency code, office location and sales data which is already displayed through Paxis.“Many of the world’s top carriers use our Paxis product to differentiate you from your competitors,” says IATA in the letter.

“We believe that your identification in Paxis provides your agency with visibility and recognition in front of your most important airline partners and has helped promote your business to those partners. Our proposed DDS product will allow your agency to benefit from the same visibility.”

IATA has been asked by the European Commission to seek “specific agreement to continue to be displayed in these products” which has led to the sending of the letter to agencies earlier this month.

But the format of the letter has been questioned because if agencies fail to respond to it, then IATA will continue to identify the agency.

Anne Godfrey, chief executive of the GTMCGuild of Travel Management Companies, said: “The GTMC has recommended that each member TMC track down the official communication from IATA within their organisation.

“Ultimately it will be for each individual TMC to make their own decision based on the information available, their existing commercial relationships and the value they place on their own content.

“The first concern for us is that although IATA has sent a letter to all the TMCs, it is only one letter to the head office of the TMC which may not go to the right person within the TMC.

“There is also some concern about the way in which the letter has been issued. The GTMC does not think that it’s best practice that silence equals consent – best practice is asking for permission to use the data.”

Godfrey added that the GTMC was talking to members about their position and “encouraging them to go back to IATA to find out what data is going to be made public”.

“Paxis is being replaced by DDS but we don’t know what data is going to be included in DDS yet,” she said. “The GTMC would have concerns if the data made available would allow TMCs or corporate clients to be identified.”

Source :- http://www.abtn.co.uk/news/