The consumer committee impaneled to advise the Transportation Department on consumer protection issues recommended that the DOT require all travel agents, including online travel agents (OTAs), to "disclose the fact that they do not offer for sale all airlines' tickets, if that is the case, and that additional airlines may serve the route being searched."
In its Report of the Advisory Committee on Aviation Consumer Protection, the panel also said the DOT "should ensure transparency in air carrier pricing" but it refrained from recommending that the agency require airlines to include all ancillary services in GDSs, as ASTA advocated.
On the issue of agency disclosure, the committee said that "in some instances, it may appear that a route is not served at all because the airline or airlines serving that route have chosen not to participate in a particular distribution system; this can be confusing for consumers."
As for ancillaries, the committee said it "encourages all participants in the industry -- airlines, distribution systems and agents -- to continue innovating with respect to transparency and distribution of optional products and services."
It continued, "On the one hand, the Committee recognizes that air travel has changed and the days when the only variables were price and schedule are gone. Air travel today provides a wide variety of business models, network choices and optional services. But with choice comes complexity for consumers. Consequently, innovation that makes comparison shopping easier than it is today would benefit the public."
The committee, chaired by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and representing consumers, airports and airlines, also recommended that the DOT upgrade its consumer website and improve its handling of consumer complaints and its protections for disabled travelers.