International Air Transport Association and the new distribution capability

29.5.2013

Question for written answer E-005971-13
to the Commission
Rule 117
Claude Moraes (S&D) , Jan Philipp Albrecht (Verts/ALE) , Dimitrios Droutsas (S&D) , Sophia in 't Veld (ALDE) , Brian Simpson (S&D)

On 18 October 2012, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents 240 airlines worldwide, adopted Resolution 787, which includes provisions to develop a new distribution capability (NDC) allowing for a change in the way member airlines would price their tickets for customers.

The NDC project would involve moving away from the current model used for the purchase of airline tickets, whereby customers obtain all the information they need regarding air fares without providing any personal data in advance. With the NDC project, it would be necessary for customers to provide personal, sensitive data, including nationality, age, marital status, travel history, frequent flyer participation and whether the trip is intended for business or leisure. This data would be collected and processed by airline companies in order to offer the customer a personalised price.

In February 2013, five Members of the European Parliament co-signed a letter to Commissioner Reding stating that the new NDC project ‘will threaten a massive violation of the privacy rights of the citizens of the European Union unless it is stopped’, and they asked that the Commission notify IATA that, in its present draft, the NDC project would infringe on the privacy and data protection rights of EU citizens.

On 23 April 2013, the article 29 Data Protection Working Party issued a letter to IATA stating that ‘the NDC project raises a number of privacy and human rights concerns, in particular those related to the profiling of individuals’. They also expressed the need for ‘data protection authorities to look at all potential impacts of this system’ and stressed that ‘IATA would have to consult data protection authorities’ within each individual EU Member State before starting any pilot NDC schemes in these markets.

Given the potential infringements on the personal and data protection rights of EU citizens, could the Commission provide information on the steps it plans to take to prevent any potential violations of EC law?

Has the Commission contacted IATA to express these concerns and ask for an assessment of all the potential impacts of this new system?

OJ C 42 E, 13/02/2014