The EC's anti-competitive authorities look set to make one last effort to find a settlement in the dispute between the Guild of European Business Travel Agents (GEBTA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
It is understood they are considering talking to each side individually to see if there is a way through the impasse.
If not, it is likely that the EC will make a ruling on the long running dispute over GEBTA's view that some of IATA's rules which date back to the 1940s are restrictive and should be changed.
GEBTA is seeking change in four areas: agent accreditation across Europe, a single European BSP, access to all air fares and an EU Satellite Ticket Printer (STP).
EC officials “refereed” a two hour meeting between the two sides last week but no progress was made. The meeting followed a similar meeting last October after which GEBTA said progress was being made.
After the latest meeting and the EC's likely decision to step in, one industry expert told BTE: “The EC is fed up. Fed up with GEBTA and fed up with IATA. It thinks they have had enough time and direction to settle this dispute but seem to be getting nowhere.”
The dispute has been going on sporadically for eight years but little progress has been made. Despite EC encouragement to IATA to change its rules, the airline association has proved reluctant.
The one change it has made is to allow agents based in one country to buy and issue tickets in another although this has not quite had the expected effect.
Any fresh meeting or EC ruling on the matter are likely to be held in the next two weeks.
In the meantime GEBTA is continuing its research into its plan to pilot an alternative accreditation and settlement system to the existing IATA scheme.