The EC has re-opened consultation on its plans to de-regulate CRSs in Europe.
It will be the third consultation programme the Commission has held on the subject.
The decision was made at a meeting with leading travel industry figures in Brussels last week.
The meeting was arranged to address industry fears that the EC is planning to change the definition of "parent carrier."
Many in the industry feel that a change in definition could damage consumers.
Currently parent carrier refers to any airline which "owns or controls" a GDS.
This would be relevant in any de-regulation as three airlines, Air France, Lufthansa and Iberia, have a substantial stake in Amadeus, a leading CRS.
If the airlines are not regarded as “parent carriers”, the concept of mandatory participation, ensuring all carriers get a fair display on all GDSs, falls.
The industry delegation included Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition (BTC), Jonathan French of the International Air Passengers' Association, Paul Tilstone, executive director of the Institute of Travel Management and Michel de Blust, general secretary of the European agents' association ECTAA.
It met Olivier Onidi, head of unit at the EC Directorate General Transport and energy (DG Tren) and his colleague Frank Laurent.
At the meeting Mr Onidi and Mr Laurent agreed to hear submissions from the industry
on the definition of parent carrier.
The meeting and concession from the EC follows pressure form the industry, including a letter last week to Jacques Barrot, the EC transport commissioner.
The letter expressed "grave concern" over the way the review of the 1989 CRS Code of Conduct was apparently going.
It warned that a change away from the current definition would "strip the Code of the basic consumer protections that have been overwhelmingly endorsed by consumers, business travellers and travel agencies in the stakeholder consultation process."
It was signed by more than 100 travel associations, TMCs, corporates and consultants.
After the Brussels meeting, more than 50 industry delegates attended a Customer Hearing on the whole issue.
A full report of this will appear in the BTE newsletter on Thursday.
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