GBTA Encouraged by DOT Rulemaking and Looks Forward to Working with DOT on Full Disclosure and Transparency of Ancillary Fees

Alexandria, VA (April 20, 2011) – The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the voice of the business travel industry – today released the following statement regarding the Department of Transportation (DOT) new airline passenger protection rules:

GBTA is pleased to see that some of the new rules from the DOT are in line with our 2010 rule recommendations to both implement and improve existing protections for business travelers. Specifically, GBTA supports DOT’s decision to expand tarmac delay requirements to foreign carriers and generally supports the DOT rules relating to increasing denied boarding compensation or “bumping” compensation.

GBTA also applauds DOT’s rules requiring full disclosure of airline fees including taxes in the advertised price but also encourages the Department to move quickly and require airlines to provide ancillary fee and fare information on any platform selling airline inventory, not just airline websites – without dictating specifics on how the fee data be transmitted or displayed.

Said Michael W. McCormick, Executive Director and COO, GBTA:  “We are heartened to see DOT issue these rules.  They are absolutely necessary to improve air travel for business and leisure travelers alike. In its next phase of rulemaking, we strongly encourage DOT to address the display of fees and fares at all points of sale.  This is essential to give business travelers and their companies the information they need to make well-informed decisions.  We will work with DOT to establish a framework for transparency so travelers and booking agents can understand the total cost of travel before buying a ticket. This is a pivotal issue for the business travel community and we are eager to continue working with DOT in this area.”

CONTACT:      
Meghan Henning, +1 703-236-1133, mhenning@gbta.org

Jamie Colunga, +1 212-446-1877, jcolunga@sloanepr.com

About the Global Business Travel Association
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings organization. Collectively, GBTA’s 5,000-plus members manage over $340 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA provides its network of 17,000 business and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers, with networking events, news, education & professional development, research, and advocacy. For more information, visit gbta.org