TBT DESK: The Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) on Sunday lauded the government's initiative to reduce airline ticket prices by up to 75 %, particularly on flights to Saudi Arabia.
An ATAB delegation, led by its President Abdus Salam Aref, expressed appreciation during a meeting with Lutfe Siddique, Special Envoy to the Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, at the Chief Adviser's Office, according to a press release issued by the Chief Adviser's press wing.
During the meeting, ATAB Secretary General Afsia Jannat Saleh highlighted several proposals aimed at making air travel more affordable and accessible.
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.
Referring to the government's recent decision to cancel ticket bookings without passengers' passport details, Aref said the move effectively ended long-standing irregularities and reduced passenger harassment. He stressed the importance of strict enforcement to prevent any entity from violating the new regulations.
In response, Siddique said the government decision had been taken after a meeting led by Law Adviser Professor Asif Nazrul, where all relevant issues were discussed to find effective 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 press release noted that, on February 11, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism issued a circular with ten directives to curb high airfares and bring order to the sector.
One directive mandates that any ticket booking not confirmed within 72 hours would be automatically canceled.
Additionally, if multiple tickets were blocked under group bookings, passenger names and passport numbers must be confirmed within seven days, failing which the bookings would be canceled within the next 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.