ATAB welcomes govt initiative to reduce airfare
The government’s plan to cut airline ticket costs by up to 75%, especially on flights to Saudi Arabia, was applauded today by the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB).
According to a press statement from the Chief Adviser’s press wing, an ATAB delegation, headed by its President Abdus Salam Aref, met with Lutfe Siddique, Special Envoy to the Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, at the Chief Adviser’s Office and expressed gratitude.
Afsia Jannat Saleh, the secretary general of ATAB, presented a number of recommendations during the conference that would lower the cost and increase the accessibility of air travel.
She pointed out that the mandatory provision of appointing General Sales Agents (GSA) under the 2017 law created opportunities for syndicates in the sector, resulting in inflated ticket prices and increased passenger hassles.
Aref cited the government’s recent determination to limit passenger harassment and effectively resolve long-standing anomalies by canceling ticket bookings without customers’ passport details.
He emphasized how crucial it is to implement the new rules strictly in order to stop any business from breaking them.
Siddique replied that the government’s decision was made following a meeting chaired by Professor Asif Nazrul, a law adviser, in which all pertinent concerns were examined in order to identify workable solutions.
“We are ensuring strict monitoring to prevent any breaches of this decision,” he added.
Siddique also expressed support for amending the 2017 law and advised ATAB to engage with adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul to resolve legal and regulatory complexities.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism released a circular with ten orders on February 11 to reduce excessive airfares and restore order to the industry, according to the press release.
Any ticket reservation that is not confirmed within 72 hours would be automatically canceled, according to one guideline.
Additionally, passenger identities and passport numbers must be verified within seven days if multiple tickets were blocked under group bookings; if not, the reservations would be revoked within the following 72 hours.
The requirement for passengers’ names, passport details, and passport copies during booking has prevented airlines from blocking tickets without assigning names, resulting in the release of those tickets in the reservation system.
Consequently, travel agencies and passengers can now check seat availability and fares online, enhancing transparency and accessibility.
“This change has significantly reduced the artificial scarcity of tickets in the market. Increased seat availability has fostered competition among airlines, ultimately lowering ticket prices,” read the release added.
