The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has called on European Union policymakers to streamline the booking and management of business travel across the continent, as part of its formal response to the EU Passenger Package currently under negotiation.
GBTA Pushes for Seamless Multimodal Travel in EU Passenger Package
The GBTA released its official position on the EU Passenger Package, urging lawmakers to prioritize reforms that simplify rail ticketing and enhance passenger protections for travelers crossing borders using multiple transport modes.
The package includes legislative proposals aimed at integrating air, rail, and other transport options into a unified booking experience. GBTA argues this would reduce disruptions and allow corporate travel programs to better manage costs, ensure traveler safety, and meet sustainability goals.
“For business travellers, booking the journey is only the beginning,” said Fulvio Origo, Senior Director, EMEA, at GBTA. “Companies need to know where their travellers are, support them when plans change, manage costs and ensure travel stays within company policy.”
The association supports expanding access to rail content, improving comparison tools for travel management companies (TMCs), and strengthening protections for passengers when multi-operator journeys face delays or cancellations.
GBTA recommends that the three legislative proposals within the package be treated as a linked framework, combining fair content access, servicing capabilities, and passenger rights to deliver real benefits for travelers and travel managers.
Key Recommendations for Policymakers
Among its core suggestions, GBTA urges policymakers to guarantee non-discriminatory access to rail and multimodal content on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms.
The group also asks for TMCs and online booking tools to receive servicing capabilities equal to supplier-direct channels, including rebooking, exchanges, cancellations, and refunds.
Corporate policy-based displays and rankings should be preserved, allowing companies to prioritize preferred suppliers, negotiated rates, duty-of-care obligations, and sustainability targets.
Genuine multimodal functionality is essential, enabling travelers to compare, book, and manage combined journeys such as air-rail trips through a single platform.
GBTA further proposes that journeys purchased in one transaction be treated as a single protected journey, with clear accountability and support during disruptions.
Prioritizing journey completion through timely rerouting, protected connections, and automatic rebooking is another key demand from the association.
“At the end of the day, this is about unlocking greater choice for business travellers,” Origo added. “Rail can be an attractive, lower-emission option for many journeys in Europe, but only if it is easy to find, compare and book alongside other modes.”
He emphasized that removing barriers to rail integration could help companies advance sustainability goals without sacrificing connectivity, traveler experience, or productivity.