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GDS deregulation could spark ‘battle royal’
A revamp of the GDS arena could still be three or four years away if the European Commission opt for a full deregulation of the industry, coalition group C-FARE has warned.
Brandon Mitchener, executive director of C-FARE – the Coalition for Fare Access to Reservations in Europe – said the move would unleash a “battle royal” which could last for years.
“If the EU go for full deregulation, which while unlikely remains a possibility, it could take three or four years to resolve,” he told TravelMole. “It would unleash a battle royal.”
Mitchener has previously stated that full deregulation in Europe would be bad news for European travellers as long as Amadeus is owned by airlines.
“Europe’s not ready to abandon some basic, time honoured consumer safeguards in the travel reservations business and won’t be as long as major airlines continue to own or control key travel reservation services,” he has said.
His comments emerged as the Association of Corporate Travel Executives issued a status report into GDS deregulation in Europe which predicted the EU could proceed with changes by mid to late 2006.
The report said that new entrants into the GDS market such as G2 Switchworks and ITA have “short term plans to enter the European market.”
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