DOT Delays Compliance Date Of Display Bias Rule

Photo: Milan Suvajac

The Transportation Department extended the date by which travel agencies must comply with a new prohibition of undisclosed flight display bias.

Agencies will now have until Feb. 15 to comply with the provision, which is part of the DOT’s third package of “Enhancing Airline Passenger Protections.” The original compliance date was Dec. 5.

The extension was requested by Carlson Wagonlit Travel, which noted that the final rule was published in the Federal Register on Nov. 3, and the compliance period was diminished by the Thanksgiving holiday.

CWT, which had asked for an extension to March 3, said the delay was warranted because “the rule does not provide ticket agents (and others subject to the rule) sufficient time to fully evaluate the impact of and seek clarification on the final rule and to prepare for and implement any changes that may be required to ensure compliance.”

The regulation will require any airline or ticket agent that provides electronic display of air fare information to either provide unbiased displays or disclose the biases in the display.

It would apply to all electronic displays of multiple carriers’ fare and schedule information, whether the display is available to the public or is only available to travel agents.

It would also apply to electronic displays used for corporate travel unless a corporation agrees by contract to biases in the display used by its employees for business travel. 

At the request of Airlines For America, the trade group representing U.S. airlines, the DOT also delayed the compliance date to Feb. 15 for new rules affecting code-sharing arrangements.

The regulation would require the carriers that report performance data for the monthly Air Travel Consumer Reports to include the performance records of their domestic code-share partners.