ECTAA supports European passenger package but warns of the risk of strengthening dominant carriers
The European travel market could enter a new phase of digital connectivity after the European Commission presented, on 13 May 2026, a package of proposals intended to simplify the planning, comparison and purchase of rail and multimodal journeys. The package includes new rules on rail ticketing, multimodal digital mobility services and amendments to the rules on rail passenger rights. The European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Association, ECTAA, welcomed the objectives of the proposals, but at the same time warned that some provisions, if not refined during the legislative procedure, could inadvertently strengthen the market power of large carriers and weaken independent distribution channels.
According to the European Commission's announcement, the aim of the new package is to enable passengers to find, compare and buy services from several rail carriers on a single platform in one transaction, while retaining rights for the entire journey. The Commission states that existing booking systems are fragmented and that passengers, especially on cross-border and multi-leg journeys, often have to use several websites or applications. A particular problem arises when a journey includes multiple tickets from different carriers because passenger protection in the event of delay, missed connection or cancellation can then be limited.
ECTAA, which represents the interests of travel agencies and tour operators in Europe, believes that the proposal can increase the availability of rail services, price transparency and the ability to compare different travel options. However, the association points out that the rules must not lead to dominant carriers, which already operate strong proprietary sales channels, becoming the main gateway to the entire market. In that case, ECTAA warns, consumers could gain a better overview of offers in the short term, but in the long term the diversity of channels through which journeys are compared and purchased could be weakened.
The Commission wants the model "one journey, one ticket, full rights"
The European Commission presented the package under the message "one journey, one ticket, full rights". According to the official press release, the three proposals should simplify the planning and booking of regional, long-distance and cross-border journeys, especially when services from several rail operators are combined. The Commission proposes that passengers should be able to buy a single ticket for multi-leg journeys through the platform of their choice, whether it is an independent sales channel or a rail carrier's platform.
If a passenger with such a single ticket missed a connection due to a delay or disruption in traffic, according to the Commission's proposal he or she would have broader protection than today. The European Commission states that this protection would include assistance, rerouting, reimbursement and compensation in accordance with passenger rights rules. This is intended to close a gap that currently exists for journeys involving several operators, especially when segments are purchased separately and when it is not clear who assumes responsibility for the consequences of disruptions.
The Commission also proposes new obligations for platforms and carriers in order to ensure fair access to ticket sales and a neutral display of travel options. The official announcement states that platforms would have to display offers in a neutral way, and where feasible also according to greenhouse gas emissions. The rules should enable carriers and platforms to conclude fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory commercial agreements, with the aim of reducing market dependence on closed or restricted sales systems.
Why ECTAA welcomes access under FRAND conditions
One part of the package that ECTAA particularly welcomed concerns access to rail content under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory conditions, often referred to by the abbreviation FRAND. According to the association's position, such access could help independent travel intermediaries display and sell rail services on a more equal footing. For the end passenger, this would mean a greater ability to compare prices, departure times, journey duration, transfers and additional services.
ECTAA emphasizes that passengers increasingly expect the ability to compare and combine travel options from different operators, transport modes and accompanying services on a single platform. Such a model is particularly important for more complex journeys, for example when train travel is combined with bus, ferry, air transport or local transport to the final destination. Independent intermediaries can play an important role in such a system because they are not tied to a single carrier and can display a wider range of commercial options.
ECTAA Secretary General Eric Drésin said, according to the association's announcement reported by specialized media, that ensuring fair access to rail content is an important and welcome step for both consumers and independent travel distributors. At the same time, however, he warned that similar market problems do not appear only in rail transport. According to ECTAA, rules on fair access should be viewed more broadly, because pressures from dominant operators on intermediaries also appear in other parts of travel distribution.
The risk of creating "super-competitors"
ECTAA's greatest reservation concerns provisions under which dominant rail platforms, under certain conditions, would have to display competing rail services and enable the sale of, or redirection to, competitors' tickets. At first glance, such a solution can increase the visibility of new market participants and make it easier for passengers to compare offers. However, ECTAA warns that the same mechanism could further entrench the position of large operators that already have recognizable brands, strong user bases and developed sales systems.
According to ECTAA, if platforms owned by dominant carriers become the main digital gateways for buying tickets, independent intermediaries could find themselves in a weaker position. These intermediaries often provide comparison tools that cover several operators and several forms of transport, and their market value rests on neutrality and the breadth of the offer. If the regulatory solution indirectly favours vertically integrated carriers, that is, companies that simultaneously control the transport service and the sales channel, competition in distribution could be reduced.
Drésin, according to ECTAA, warned that some proposed measures could inadvertently create "super-competitors" to the detriment of independent intermediaries that cannot match the market recognition and reach of large carriers. Such wording does not mean that ECTAA opposes greater competition among rail operators. On the contrary, the association acknowledges that competition among carriers can improve prices and service quality, but it asks that the balance between carriers' direct sales and independent distribution be preserved.
The broader problem is not limited to rail
ECTAA believes that the principle of fair access should be applied consistently across different types of transport when dominant operators impose conditions on weaker market participants. As an example of a broader problem in travel distribution, the association highlighted the Ryanair case in Italy. In December 2025, the Italian Competition Authority AGCM announced that it had imposed a fine of more than 255 million euros on Ryanair and its parent company for abusing a dominant position in domestic and European passenger air transport to and from Italy.
According to the AGCM press release, from April 2023 until at least April 2025 Ryanair pursued a strategy that made it more difficult for travel agencies relying on its flights as part of tourism services to operate. The Italian regulator stated that such conduct restricted the ability of agencies to combine flights with other services and to compete in the offer of travel packages. Ryanair announced an appeal and rejected the Italian regulator's decision, so the case remains an important example of a regulatory dispute over the boundary between carriers' direct distribution and the role of intermediaries.
It is precisely at this point that ECTAA's comment on the new European package extends beyond rail. The association argues that European rules should not address market imbalances in only one segment while similar patterns of behaviour in other forms of transport are left without equal protective mechanisms. For passengers, the difference is often less important than the practical outcome: they want clear information, a comparable price, a reliable ticket and the assurance that, in the event of disruption, they will know whom to contact.
Passenger rights remain a central part of the debate
The European Commission recalls that the new Regulation on rail passengers' rights and obligations entered into force in June 2021 and has applied since 7 June 2023. According to the Commission, these rules already lay the foundation for better passenger protection, including the right to information, assistance and handling in the event of delay or cancellation. On 13 May 2026, the Commission also published a report on the implementation of that regulation, in which it notes progress in the Member States, but also remaining challenges, especially the limited availability of single tickets for cross-border journeys involving several operators.
For passengers, the issue of rights is particularly important on complex routes. When a ticket is bought separately for each segment, a delay of the first train can lead to a missed onward journey without the clear responsibility of one seller or carrier for the entire route. The Commission's proposal therefore seeks to extend protection to journeys purchased as a single ticket. This is intended to encourage confidence in rail transport as an alternative to other forms of transport, especially over medium and long distances.
ECTAA supports a strong passenger rights framework, but warns that obligations in the event of disruptions must be allocated according to the actual responsibility of the individual participants in the travel chain. Independent agencies and digital intermediaries may sell or combine services, but as a rule they do not operate trains, infrastructure or carriers' operational decisions. Therefore, according to positions that ECTAA has been presenting for some time in mobility debates, the legislative framework should clearly distinguish responsibility for information, sales and the operational performance of transport.
Sustainable mobility and the issue of real availability
The European Commission also links the new package to the Union's climate objectives. The official announcement states that easier planning and purchase of cross-border journeys is part of efforts to enable passengers to switch more easily to more sustainable forms of mobility. The Commission also emphasizes that comparing options, the availability of single tickets and clear passenger rights are important prerequisites for strengthening rail compared with other forms of transport.
Transport & Environment, an organization dealing with transport and environmental policy, states in its analysis of the European single ticketing package that the new rules could make international rail travel easier if carriers share data on tickets, delays and cancellations. The organization also warns that on many routes passengers do not see all available alternatives because some operators do not display competitors' tickets. According to that analysis, a more transparent display of offers could help passengers more easily find more suitable or cheaper connections.
However, availability is not only a technical issue. If a passenger can see several options on one platform, but the purchase conditions, fees, responsibility and after-sales support are unclear, digital consolidation will not necessarily solve the main problem. That is why three objectives overlap in the debate on the new package: greater competition among carriers, more equal ticket distribution and reliable passenger protection. ECTAA believes that legislators in the European Parliament and the Council of the EU must carefully weigh all three elements.
The legislative procedure in Brussels follows
The European Commission's proposals now move into the ordinary legislative procedure, which means that they will be considered by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. Only after negotiations between those institutions will the final text of the rules, the application deadlines and possible transitional provisions be known. This leaves room for amendments, including more precise safeguards against market concentration and a clearer delineation of the obligations of carriers, platforms and intermediaries.
ECTAA has called on European co-legislators to carefully assess the effects of the package on competition during the procedure. The association asks that solutions be avoided which, although conceived as support for passengers and new rail operators, could weaken independent distribution channels in the long term. In practice, the debate will probably revolve around how to simultaneously force closed systems to open data and tickets, without creating a new dependence on the sales channels of the largest carriers.
For passengers, a successful outcome could mean simpler purchasing of complex routes, clearer price comparison and more reliable protection in the event of disruptions. For the travel market, the outcome will depend on whether the new rules will encourage real competition or merely redirect traffic towards already dominant platforms. This is precisely why ECTAA's response to the package is not a rejection of reform, but a warning that the digital simplification of travel must be built on rules that preserve neutrality, diversity of distribution and equal access for all relevant participants.
Sources:
- European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport – official announcement on the "One journey, one ticket, full rights" package and the next steps of the legislative procedure (link)
- Travel Daily News – report on ECTAA's position regarding the new European passenger package and warnings about competition (link)
- GTP Headlines – additional overview of ECTAA's warnings about the possible strengthening of dominant carriers and the role of independent intermediaries (link)
- European Commission – overview of the current framework of rail passenger rights and Regulation (EU) 2021/782 (link)
- AGCM, Italian Competition Authority – press release on the fine imposed on Ryanair for abuse of a dominant position in Italy (link)
- Transport & Environment – analysis of the European package for modernising rail ticketing and distribution (link)