GBTA Welcomes EU Measures to Make Travel Easier to Book, Compare and Manage

New proposed rules aim to simplify multimodal journeys, strengthen passenger rights and support more efficient business travel across Europe

GBTA welcomes the publication today of the European Commission's new Passenger Package. The legislative proposals included in the Package are aimed at improving the availability of multimodal travel options and rail tickets, and at strengthening the rights of rail passengers across Europe.

The Passenger Package is an important step in the right direction, with the potential to make journeys across Europe easier to search, compare, book and manage for business travellers. Right now, fragmented booking systems and inconsistent access to content can make it difficult to assess available options, particularly when journeys involve rail or more than one mode of transport. This can lead to inefficient travel and less sustainable travel choices.

Over the past years, GBTA has engaged closely with the European Commission to advocate for rules that provide better access and guarantees to travellers for cross-border rail and multimodal trips. The measures covered in the Passenger Package, including the possibility to combine different transport options within one ticket in a seamless way and the ability to sort travel options by greenhouse emissions, would help the business travel sector become more efficient and sustainable.

By addressing the lack of multimodal trips and single ticketing, the Passenger Package can help put transport providers, intermediaries and travellers on a more consistent footing. Better access to bookable transport content would support competition, improve transparency and make it easier for companies to choose rail and multimodal journeys where available, helping the sector's ongoing efforts to reduce its emissions and adopt more sustainable practices.

GBTA also welcomes the Commission's focus on rail passenger rights. Clear and consistent rules are needed so travellers understand their rights when disruption occurs, including access to information, assistance, refunds and rerouting. This is especially important for business travellers, whose journeys are often time-sensitive and require confidence that disruption can be managed effectively.

Fulvio Origo, GBTA Senior Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) said:

"The new EU Passenger Package is an important step towards a more connected, transparent and traveller-focused European transport system. Business travellers need to be able to find, compare and book the right journey with confidence. That means clear information, fair access to transport information and strong passenger protections when things go wrong.

We encourage EU policymakers to ensure the final rules are practical for business travel, support competition and make it easier for companies to choose rail and multimodal options where they make sense.

GBTA will continue working with EU policymakers, transport operators, travel management companies, technology providers to achieve a policy framework that improves choice, transparency and traveller confidence across Europe."

For more information about GBTA's global advocacy efforts, visit the web page here.