ECTAA press release 9. 9. 2026

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Brussels, 9 September 2026 – Following the European Commission’s adoption of the Passenger Package in May, ECTAA has set out four priorities to ensure the proposals deliver what European travellers need: more choice, genuine transparency, easier comparison and better access to rail and multimodal journeys.

ECTAA supports the Package’s ambition to make rail and multimodal travel easier to find, compare and book. Independent travel intermediaries – travel agents, tour operators, online travel agencies, ticketing platforms and other distributors – are essential to achieving this. But to deliver on these ambitions, travel intermediaries need the right conditions.

First, multimodal rules need to be truly multimodal. Consumers should benefit from the same competitive safeguards whether they travel by rail, air, coach or a combination of modes. ECTAA therefore calls for fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) conditions to apply consistently across transport modes where operators control indispensable content. Strong market power. Strong rules. Whatever the mode.

Second, there can be no genuine transparency without access to content. Travel intermediaries can only compare what they can access. They therefore need fair and non-discriminatory access to fares, inventory, ancillary services and servicing functionalities. Otherwise, consumers may see only part of the market and could miss a cheaper or more suitable option. You cannot compare what you cannot access.

Third, ECTAA strongly supports transparency in the ranking of travel offers. Consumers should understand why offers are ranked as they are and when prominence is paid for. It is already the case today since EU consumer law requires exactly this. However, legislation should not prescribe how every intermediary’s default display must look like. Consumers have different priorities – from price and journey time to reliability and convenience – and intermediaries should remain free to develop innovative comparison tools that respond to those needs. Thus, the focus should be to require transparency. But preserve choice and innovation.

Finally, ECTAA cautions against turning dominant rail platforms into even stronger gatekeepers that would control all customer and data access. Requiring incumbent railway operators’ platforms to host competitors’ products would further reinforce their position in the distribution market. Higher visibility of competing rail offers can already be achieved through the proposed obligation to share content on FRAND terms with platforms of other transport operators and independent travel intermediaries. Open the content – don’t strengthen the gatekeeper.

“For consumers, the real value of the Passenger Package should be simple: more options to compare, greater transparency and an easier way to find the journey that suits them best. But you cannot have genuine comparison without access to the full range of transport content. A strong independent distribution market is essential to delivering the choice and competition European travellers expect,” said Heli Mäki-Fränti, President of ECTAA.

ECTAA calls on the European Parliament and Council to address these four priorities during the legislative negotiations. If the EU gets the framework right, the Passenger Package can deliver more competition, better comparison and greater choice – making rail and multimodal travel genuinely easier for European consumers.

The position paper is available on the ECTAA website here.

 

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ECTAA
ECTAA represents the interests of 80,000 travel agents and tour operators in Europe, which provide consultancy and sell transport, accommodation, leisure and other tourism services as well as combined products to leisure and business customers.