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Reinventing YTB
In the Hot Seat:
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New owner, new name 8
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THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY
NOVEMBER 7, 2011
The Mekong
flows West
[ CONSUMER PROTECTION CITED ]
DOT considering
disclosure rules
for travel agents
By Bill Poling
Over the past decade, Western river cruise lines
have eagerly added Mekong River sailings amid
growing demand for Southeast Asia destinations.
BY MICHELLE BARAN PAGE 16
T W PHO TO B Y MICHELLE BARAN
The Transportation Department is considering plans to regulate travel agencies by imposing customer service standards on businesses that sell airline tickets and requiring
agents to disclose any incentive payments
they receive.
The DOT recently added these and other
ideas to a list of works-in-progress, as part
of a routine monthly update on its plans for
future regulations.
Two other ideas were included: requiring
agents to disclose to consumers the names of
airlines they sell or do not sell and requiring
agents to disclose any use of a “preferential
display” of airlines or fares.
These items for consideration were added
to the list of issues that could be addressed
in a forthcoming rulemaking regarding the
disclosure of airline ancillary fees. The DOT
U.S. travel promo effort: ‘Brand USA’
‘It’s always been our intent
to explore additional ways to
protect airline consumers.’
— DOT spokesman
By Bill Poling
The Corporation for Travel Promo-
tion this week is unveiling its logo
and a global branding strategy for
international tourism marketing
that will focus on the diversity and
potential of the U.S. as a land of
“awesome possibilities.”
The corporation, now operating as Brand
USA, timed the rollout to coincide with the
opening day of the World Travel Market in
London. It plans to launch the first live ad
campaign on March 7, which coincides with
the ITB travel show in Berlin.
has already adopted rules on that subject, but
it has kept the docket open to address follow-up issues, including a proposal by ASTA and
others that airlines be required to make all
ancillary services available for display and
sale through all distribution channels in
which they participate.
The DOT’s abstract shows a target date of
April 6, 2012 for publishing a proposed regulation, three months later than the January
date that had been projected before the travel
agency issues were added last month.
The DOT did not say what new information or market developments, if any, triggered the agency’s interest in regulating travel agency practices.
Asked why proposals to regulate agents
have been added to the docket, a DOT
See DOT on Page 58
