International Air Transport Association Tariff Conference Proceeding

Order 2007-3-23
OST-2006-26404
OST-2006-25307 - Tariff Conference Proceeding

Issued and Served March 30, 2007

Final Order - Bookmarked | On File at Federal Register April 4, 2007

We have decided to make our partial withdrawal of approval for the by-laws effective on June 30, 2007, the effective date for the DG-Competition decision ending IATA's exemption for tariff conferences for transatlantic fares. In his exchange of letters with DG-Competition, Mr. Reynolds stated that, if we determined to make our show-cause order final, we would presumably choose the June 30, 2007, effective date chosen by DG-Competition because it would be in the best interests of the governments and the affected private parties if our order became effective at the same time. Our show-cause order had stated that we intended to complete this proceeding by the end of 2006 but did not propose an effective date for our final decision, if we made our tentative findings and conclusions final. Order 2006-7‑3.

Neither IATA nor any of the other parties suggested a different effective date if we determine to make the show-cause order final without further procedures.

We have determined that our partial withdrawal of approval for the by-laws will become effective on June 30, 2007. Our decision will then become effective on the same day as the European Union order, and it will give IATA's members time to adjust to this order (and the simultaneous end of the European Union's exemption for tariff conferences in U.S-Europe markets). IATA has had notice since last fall that, if we made the show-cause order final, we tentatively planned to make the withdrawal of approval effective on June 30, 2007. We think that the advance notice given IATA should be adequate to enable IATA and tariff conference participants to adjust.

By: Andrew Steinberg