Order 2011-3-3

Served: March 1, 2011 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

WASHINGTON, D.C.

 

Action on IATA Agreement

Issued by the Department of Transportation

on the 1

st day of March, 2011

ORDER 

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has filed an agreement with the Department 

under sections 41308 and 41309 of Title 49 or the United States Code (the Code) and Part 303 of 

the Department’s regulations. The agreement was adopted at the twenty-eighth Joint ATA\IATA 

Passenger Service Conference held in Geneva, October 8-9, 2008.1

IATA requests approval and antitrust immunity for existing resolutions and recommended 

practices (R.P.’s) and five new resolutions and R.P.’s affecting passenger services worldwide. 

The existing resolutions address formats and procedures relating to issuance of electronic and 

paper tickets, boarding passes and other documents; acceptance and carriage of passengers 

requiring special assistance; and refund and rerouting procedures. The amendments proposed 

largely involve non-substantive changes of a technical, editorial or administrative nature to 

existing approved resolutions and recommended practices, and appear to be in conformity with 

 

1

IATA memorandum PSC/RESO/143, filed with the Department on May 20, 2009. Five resolutions and eighteen 

R.P.’s were submitted for information only because they are among the resolutions and R.P.’s that have been 

exempted from the Department’s prior review and approval requirements by Order 2002-1-15, January 29, 2002; 

Order 2002-7-3, July 1, 2002; Order 2003-6-15, June 10, 2003; and Order 2005-7-50, July 20, 2005 (Dockets OST2001-9575, OST-2002-11798, OST-2002-13807, OST-2003-16776, respectively). The resolutions listed for 

information only are 722a (Off Premise Transitional Automated Ticket (OPTAT)), 722e (Automated 

Ticket/Boarding Pass (ATB) and Multi Purpose Document (MPD) – Coupon By Coupon Technical Specification), 

730 (Security Features For Accountable Passenger Traffic Documents), 740 (Form Of Interline Baggage Tag), 783 

(Passenger And Airport Data Interchange Standards Board), 1008 (Glossary of Commonly Used Air Passenger 

Terms), 1707 (Standard Symbols for Description of Standard Message Formats), 1707a (Data Field Dictionary For 

DCS Passenger Messages), 1707b (Data Element Directory for DCS Passenger Messages), 1708 (Passenger Name 

List (PNL) and Additions And Deletions List (ADL)), 1710 (Standardisation of Seat Designators), 1711 (Seats 

Protected Message (SPM), 1712 (Seats Occupied Message (SOM)), 1713 (Space Available Message (SAM)), 1715 

(Passenger Service Message (PSM), 1716 (Passenger Information List (PIL)), 1717 (Teletype Passenger Manifest 

(TPM), 1718 (Passenger Transfer Message (PTM), 1719 (Passenger Final Sales Message (PFS)), 1719a (Frequent 

Traveller List (FTL), 1719b (Passenger Reconcile List (PRL)), 1719c (Electronic Ticket List (ETL)), and 1745 

(Baggage Services Messages). 

Agreement among Member Carriers 

of the International Air Transport 

Association concerning passenger 

service matters

 Docket OST-2009-0123

 R-1 through R-44

 Docket OST-2007-0080

 R-8
2

our substantive policies and concerns. As such, they raise no public interest issues, and will be 

approved. We will also approve four of the five new resolutions and recommended practices. 

Resolution 725h (Electronic Miscellaneous Document-Ground Handling) provides standards for 

exchange of data between carriers and third-party ground handlers. Resolution 781b (Fraud 

Related to Electronic Documents) provides rules for fraud prevention of electronic tickets and 

other electronic documents. Recommended Practice 1700b (Carriage of Passenger with Reduced 

Mobility and Escorts Requirement) provides guidance on defining passengers with reduced 

mobility, and guidelines on escort requirements, embarkation and evacuation. Recommended 

Practice 1721 (Netting for Exchange/Reissue Transactions) provides a standard process for 

“netting” transactions, for example where the passenger purchases a new ticket but is owed a 

refund for a portion of his original ticket.

We will, sua sponte, exempt Recommended Practice 1797a (Aviation Information Data 

Exchange (AIDX)) which establishes specifications and standards for the exchange of flightrelated information among carriers, airports and associated service providers. The actual 

technical data-exchange specifications were not provided with the agreement but were made 

available to the Department for our review. Such specifications are among the types of purely

technical standards that we have exempted in other resolutions and R.P.’s, and we see no reason 

to review them or to approve and immunize them from the antitrust laws.

We will, however, condition our approval of the resolutions and R.P.’s involving passengers with 

disabilities to stipulate that the carriers’ implementation of them shall be in compliance with the 

Department’s own regulations in 14 CFR Part 382, Non-discrimination on the Basis of Disability

in Air Travel.

For example, new Recommended Practice 1700b states, in paragraph 3 (Maximum Number and 

Escort Requirement), that “The number of passengers with reduced mobility travelling with 

escorts and where escorts are not required is not limited as long as they do not exceed the number 

of able-bodied persons capable of assisting with an emergency evacuation.” This provision 

would appear to conflict with section 382.17 of the DOT rule which, on flights covered by Part 

382, prohibits carriers from limiting the number of passengers with disabilities on a given flight 

absent a legally binding conflict of law. Under section 382.7, our rule applies to all U.S. carriers, 

regardless of where their operations take place, except as otherwise provided in the rule; and to 

flights of foreign carriers that begin or end at a U.S. airport. Under section 382.9, carriers may

request waivers of provisions of Part 382 where an applicable provision of a foreign law 

precludes the carrier from complying with the relevant section of Part 382.

Similarly, although existing Resolution 700 is captioned “(Except Canada and USA),” in section 

5.2.3.1(a), it states that “Members shall endeavor to make available at all stations (emphasis 

added), wheelchairs for boarding/disembarking purposes and within airport facilities, before 

departure, during intermediate stops and on arrival...” While it appears that the intent of this 

provision is to make a good faith effort to provide wheelchairs for enplaning, deplaning, and 

connecting upon the request of an individual with a disability, such assistance, if requested, is a 

mandatory requirement under sections 382.91 and 382.95 of DOT’s disability rule on all flights 

covered by Part 382, including those originating or terminating at foreign airports.
3

Recommended Practice 1700e (Publication in Airline Guides of Rates and Conditions Related to 

Travel of Passengers with Reduced Mobility) lists pertinent information that carriers should 

make publicly available, including “special excess baggage rate (sic) for medical equipment on 

which the passenger is dependent.” Under our rule, however, carriers are prohibited from 

charging passengers with disabilities for carrying on or checking a wheelchair or any other 

assistive device.2

We will take similar action on Recommended Practice 1708a (Passenger Assistance List (PAL) 

and Change Assistance List (CAL)), on which we deferred action in an earlier order.3 The PAL

is a list of passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) on a particular flight travelling to or from EU 

airports, including itineraries that include non-EU points; and the CAL is the updated PAL list. 

Section 1.1.1 of the R.P. implies that all disabled passengers are to be listed on the PAL, and 

section 1.1.2 states that the CAL contains the names of passengers “who qualify for reduced 

mobility handling.” In addition, Section 2.5.4 of the R.P. states “If there are no PRM passengers 

for an airport, the word NIL will appear for each airport and RBD where there are no PRM 

passengers.” Taken as a whole, this language may imply to some carriers or carrier employees 

that a passenger with a disability must self-identify to the carrier in advance in order to qualify

for enplaning, deplaning or connecting assistance. However, under Part 382, on flights to or 

from the United States (and on all flights worldwide for U.S. carriers), airlines must provide that 

assistance even if the passenger first requested it at the airport without having notified the carrier 

in advance. 

We find that the approved resolutions, as conditioned, are not adverse to the public interest, in 

violation of the Code, or likely to lessen competition substantially. Furthermore, we conclude 

that the approved portions of the agreement should be granted immunity from the operation of 

the antitrust laws to the extent necessary to permit their implementation. In general, they amend 

existing provisions already approved and immunized by the Department. As a result, none raises 

immunity issues not previously considered, and the conferral of immunity upon them is 

consistent with our policy of conferring immunity on amendments coextensively with the 

underlying agreements.

1. Pursuant to authority duly assigned under the Department’s regulations, 49 CFR 1.54 (b) (1):

We find that the Recommended Practice 1797a as incorporated in Docket OST-2009-0123 

should be granted an exemption from filing with the Department for prior approval under 

condition #2 imposed on IATA’s by-laws.

2. Pursuant to the authority duly assigned under the Department’s Regulations, 14 CFR 385.13:

 

2

 See 14 CFR Part 382, sections 382.31(a), 382.121 and 382.125.

3

 Order 2008-11-3, November 5, 2008, Docket OST-2007-0080.
4

We do not find Resolutions R-1 through R-43 of the agreement in Docket OST-2009-0123, and 

Resolution R-8 of the agreement in Docket OST-2007-0080, as set forth in the attached 

Appendix, to be adverse to the public interest, in violation of the Code, or likely to lessen 

competition substantially, provided that approval is subject, where applicable, to conditions 

previously imposed or those imposed herein;

ACCORDINGLY,

1. We exempt Passenger Service Conference Recommended practice 1797a as incorporated in 

Docket OST-2009-0123 from condition #2 imposed on IATA’s Procedures for Conduct of the 

IATA Traffic Conferences, Agreement 1175, as amended, by Order 68-7-55, to the extent that 

IATA need not file it for review and approval by the Department prior to a declaration of 

effectiveness by IATA and implementation by IATA members;

2. We approve and grant antitrust immunity to the agreements set forth in finding paragraph 2

above, subject, where applicable, to conditions previously imposed or imposed herein;

3. The exemption granted in paragraph 1 above may be revoked in whole or in part, at any time; 

and

4. This Order will be served on the International Air Transport Association.

Persons entitled to petition the Department for review of this order, under 14 CFR 385.30, may

file such petitions within seven days after the date of service of this order.
This order shall be effective and become the action of the Department of Transportation upon 

expiration of the above period, unless within such period a petition for review is filed or the 

Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs given notice that she will review this 

order on her own motion.

By:

Paul L. Gretch

Director, Office of International Aviation

(SEAL)

An electronic version of this document is available on the World Wide Web at:

http://www.regulations.gov/
APPENDIX

Page 1 of 4

Docket IATA

OST-09-0123 Designation IATA Resolution Title

R-1 PSC (28)700 Acceptance and Carriage of Passengers

Requiring Special Assistance

Provided that carriers’ implementation of these provisions shall be in compliance with 

the Department’s Regulations in 14 CFR Part 382.

R-2 PSC (28)720a Passenger Ticket and Baggage CheckIssuance and Honoring Procedures

R-3 PSC (28)722 Transitional Automated Ticket (TAT)

R-4 PSC (28)722c Automated Ticket/Boarding Pass –

Version 2 (ATB2)

R-5 PSC (28)722f Electronic Ticket – Airline

R-6 PSC (28)722g Electronic Ticket – Neutral

R-7 PSC (28)722h Electronic Ticket/Electronic Miscellaneous

Documents – Ground Handling

R-8 PSC (28)725a Miscellaneous Charges Order (MCO) -

Issuance and Honouring Procedures by

Members

R-9 PSC (28)725d Automated Miscellaneous Charges Order

(MCO) – Neutral (Coupon-By-Coupon)

R-10 PSC (28)725f Electronic Miscellaneous 

Document - Airline

R-11 PSC (28)725g Electronic Miscellaneous 

Document – Neutral

R-12 PSC (28)725h Electronic Miscellaneous 

Document – Ground
APPENDIX

Page 2 of 4

Docket IATA

OST-09-0123 Designation IATA Resolution Title

R-13 PSC (28)727 Tickets – Alterations to Flight

Coupons

R-14 PSC (28)727a Collection of Penalty Fees

R-15 PSC (28)728 Code Designators for Passenger Ticket

And Baggage Check

R-16 PSC (28)735 Period of Validity

R-17 PSC (28)735a Extension of Period of Validity

R-18 PSC (28)735b Waiver of Minimum Starry Requirement

R-19 PSC (28)735c Rerouting in Case of Death

R- 20 PSC (28) 735d Involuntary Change of Carrier, Routing, 

Class or Type of Fare

R-21 PSC (28)735e Procedure for Involuntary Change of

Routing En Route

R- 22 PSC (28)736 Voluntary Changes to Tickets

R- 23 PSC (28)737 Refunds

R- 24 PSC (28)742a Excess Baggage Ticket – Issuance

Procedures

R- 25 PSC (28)762 Airlines Designators

R- 26 PSC (28)763 Location Identifiers

R- 27 PSC (28)767 Airline Accounting Codes and 

Prefixes

R- 28 PSC (28)780 Form of Interline Traffic 

Agreement – Passenger
APPENDIX

Page 3 of 4

Docket IATA

OST-09-0123 Designation IATA Resolution Title

R- 29 PSC (28)781 Blacklisted Paper Documents

R- 30 PSC (28)781a Indemnification for Recovery of

Blacklisted Accountable Paper

Transportation Documents

R- 31 PSC (28)781b Fraud Related to Electronic 

Documents

R- 32 PSC (28)792 Bar Coded Boarding Pass

(BCBP)

R- 33 PSC (28)1700a Expectant mothers and NewBorn Babies 

R- 34 PSC (28)1700b Carriage of Passenger with 

Reduced Mobility and

Escorts Requirement 

Provided that carriers’ implementation of these provisions shall be in compliance with 

the Department’s Regulations in 14 CFR Part 382

R- 35 PSC (28)1700c Seat Assignment for Passengers

With Reduced Mobility and for

Escorts

Provided that carriers’ implementation of these provisions shall be in compliance with 

the Department’s Regulations in 14 CFR Part 382

R- 36 PSC (28)1700d Passengers with Reduced 

Mobility Group Travel

Provided that carriers’ implementation of these provisions shall be in compliance with 

the Department’s Regulations in 14 CFR Part 382
APPENDIX

Page 4 of 4

Docket IATA

OST-09-0123 Designation IATA Resolution Title

R- 37 PSC (28)1700e Publication in Airline Guides of

Rates and Conditions Relating

To Travel of Passengers with 

Reduced Mobility

Provided that carriers’ implementation of these provisions shall be in compliance with 

the Department’s Regulations in 14 CFR Part 382

R- 38 PSC (28)1714 Industry Discount Message (IDM)

R- 39 PSC (28)1719d Electronic Ticket List (ETL)

R- 40 PSC (28)1720a Standard Thirteen-Digit Numbering

System for Traffic Documents

R-41 PSC (28)1721 Netting for Exchange/Reissue

Transactions

R- 42 PSC (28)1787 Reservations Procedures for Free

And Reduced Rate Transportation

R- 43 PSC (28)1790 Additional Services

R-8 PSC (29)1708a Passenger Assistance List (PAL) and 

Change Assistance List (CAL) 

Provided that carriers’ implementation of these provisions shall be in compliance with 

the Department’s Regulations in 14 CFR Part 382