Economic Daily: Targeted measures to regulate the air passenger transport market
Recently, the China Air Transport Association (CATA) issued the "CATA Air Passenger Self-Regulatory Convention," which outlines airline fares, refund and change regulations for online sales platforms and sales agents. The CATA is required to strengthen oversight, strictly prohibit illegal bundling and surcharges, and establish an "airline sales agent credit evaluation mechanism." This move aims to strengthen industry self-regulation, regulate the domestic air passenger market, and actively respond to the national call for comprehensive rectification of "involuted" competition. The issuance of this self-regulatory convention is undoubtedly a timely remedy. It strengthens oversight of all aspects of air sales, strictly prohibits illegal bundling and surcharges, and establishes a credit evaluation mechanism. This will have a positive impact on curbing arbitrary surcharges by agents and promoting the standardization of the ticketing system. However, whether the self-regulatory convention can truly take effect and translate into effective industry governance remains challenging, and requires supporting support.