IATA bows to "open skies"
Anew era dawned last week for passengers flying international airlines.
Yielding to the revolutionary changes that have occurred in the travel business, the 108-member International Air Transport Association (IATA) abandoned its 33-year-old role as the industry's fare fixing cartel. It also gave up its authority to regulate in-flight meals, drinks and enter tainment, and will henceforth confine itself to such noncompetitive matters as safety standards, security and ticket exchange arrangements.
The clipping of IATA'S wings was a direct if delayed result of the "open skies" policy pursued by the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board, which in its drive for deregulation...
