Tue, Jan 11, 2011
Airlines, Ticket Agents Informed Of Disclosure Rules
The U.S. DOT Aviation Enforcement Office has provided
guidance to airlines and ticket agents about the requirement for
notifying passengers if a flight they are selling is being operated
under a code-sharing arrangement.
Under code-sharing, an airline sells tickets on flights that use
the airline's code, but are actually operated by a different
carrier. Longstanding DOT rules require airlines to disclose
code-sharing arrangements to consumers before they book a flight,
but legislation adopted in August 2010 has also clarified the
requirements for Internet websites that sell airline tickets.
"When passengers buy an airline ticket, they have the right to
know which airline will be operating their flight," U.S.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Monday. "For years
we've required airlines to inform consumers about code-sharing
arrangements, and we'll be monitoring the industry closely to make
sure they comply with the provisions of the new legislation."
The new law makes it clear that when a consumer requests an
airline itinerary on the Internet, any code-sharing arrangement
must be included on the same screen and next to the
itinerary. Currently, code-sharing on some websites is being
disclosed through a hyperlink or when one passes the cursor over a
link. Under the existing Department rules, code-share disclosure
must include the corporate name of the transporting carrier and any
other name under which the flight is offered to the public.
The Department's Aviation Enforcement Office will give airlines
and ticket agents 60 days to modify websites that are now using
links for code-share disclosure to bring them into compliance
before instituting enforcement action. In the meantime, it will
continue to enforce other aspects of the current rules
aggressively, as it has in the past. The guidance also
reminded airlines that they are responsible for the compliance of
their ticket agents, and put ticket agents that provide Internet
ticket sales software to travel agents on notice that they must
ensure that the software is in compliance with DOT's rules,
including the code-share disclosure requirements, or risk
enforcement action.
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