WASHINGTON -- A final decision regarding the federal rules
governing GDSs took another step forward Tuesday, when the DOT sent
the final draft of its proposed rules to the White House's Office
of Management and Budget.
The OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has up to
90 days to review the draft and either accept it or send it back to
the DOT for revision.
But with the GDS rules scheduled to expire at the end of
January, time is at a premium.
Meanwhile, ASTA polled travel agents Oct. 20 to 26 and found
that some 78% of the 1,808 respondents said the DOT's proposed
GDS-rule changes are biased toward the airlines.
And, more than two-thirds of respondents gave the DOT a "D" or
an "F" on protecting consumer interests.
To contact reporter Andrew Compart, send e-mail to [email protected].