The International Air Transport Association (IATA) seems set to change its rules on agent accreditation next month.
John Mason, the organisation's assistant director passenger agency, said the issue was on the agenda for the June meeting of the Passenger Agency conference in Singapore and had a “very good chance of success.”
The rule change on agent accreditation is one of four which have been demanded for the past two years by European agents, represented by GEBTA, the business travel agents' guild, ECTAA, acting for the leisure agents, and CETAG, a group representing travel managers and agents.
The proposed rule change would allow agents to register one headquarters office and then open branches anywhere in Europe without going through more accreditation processes.
Mr Mason said: “IATA accreditation already provides that an agent can apply for single entry and then open branches where ever they like. But it is complicated if they do choose to open branches.
“With a single accreditation for an HQ office in say Brussels they would then be able to open up in locations where ever they liked in Europe with out going through the accreditation process.”
On another agents' demand, a single European Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP), Mr Mason said major agents could already settle all their airline bills in one place.
“All they have to do is nominate one place and they can pay the BSP in that country. But that is not what agents want. What drives their concern is that the industry is changing because of online sales and discounting of tickets.
“What agents really want is access to an airline's fares and that is something which is not to do with IATA rules.”
Mr Mason said of the other two demands from agents, access to airline fares was a matter for the airlines while an EU Satellite Ticket Printer facility had been made available last year.