Agents need IATA-like body

The pandemic might just be the jolt that the travel agent fraternity needs to wake them up from the inertia that has set in, and force them to think about safeguarding their interests.

Hazel Jain

Amidst the mass outcry about astronomically high IATA fee, Sunil B Satyawakta, Former Chapter Chairman for Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand, TAAI, shares his views about why the B2B community needs to start thinking and taking action now.

He says, “Renegotiating IATA fee is indeed a need of the hour and it is good that UFTAA has initiated to negotiate with IATA, but why only the BSP agreement? United Federation of Travel Agents’ Associations (UFTAA) being the association of travel agents’ associations should act as protective for travel agents as IATA does for airlines.

UFTAA should ensure that no arbitrary moves favouring the airlines are made by IATA unless a mutual consensus with all travel agents associations is reached. Agents need a parallel international body to look into their interests and protect them from IATA which is only for the airline.”

He adds, “We must take stock of how many travel agents have surrendered their IATA membership post COVID-19 due to the exorbitant fee structure. Not everyone has received the invoice. IATA is releasing it area-wise.We have received an alert message from IATA that its Annual Revalidation exercise mandated by Resolution 812 has commenced from October 27, 2020. The first batch will be to agents in the state of Maharashtra followed  each successive week with communications to agents in other states. This exercise will continue until the first week of December 2020.”