International Air Transport Association facts for kids

The International Air Transport Association (IATA /aɪˈɑːtə/ eye-AH-tuh) is a group that helps airlines work together. It was started in 1945. IATA helps set rules for how airlines operate. It also used to help airlines agree on ticket prices.

As of 2023, IATA represents 317 airlines from over 120 countries. These airlines include many big carriers. IATA member airlines carry about 82% of all air traffic. IATA supports airlines and helps create rules and standards for the industry. Its main office is in Montreal, Canada. It also has executive offices in Geneva, Switzerland.

History of IATA

IATA was created in April 1945 in Havana, Cuba. It took over from an older group called the International Air Traffic Association, which started in 1919. When IATA began, it had 57 airlines from 31 countries.

Much of IATA's early work was about technical things. IATA helped the new International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ICAO is a group that sets international rules for air travel. These rules are still used today.

IATA headquarters in Montreal (Tour de la Bourse)

In the late 1940s, IATA started holding meetings. At these meetings, airlines would agree on prices for international flights. The goal was to set fair prices. This also helped airlines make a reasonable profit.

In 1947, many airlines were owned by governments. They were often losing money. IATA worked like a group where airlines agreed on prices. This helped prevent airlines from competing too much on price. The first big meeting was in 1947 in Rio de Janeiro. They agreed on many rules for flight prices.

The American Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) did not stop IATA from setting prices. Some people thought this was wrong. They compared IATA to old groups that controlled prices.

In the early 1950s, IATA's price rules made airlines try to stand out in other ways. They focused on how good their service was. IATA then set strict rules on how good airline service could be. For example, in 1958, IATA even said airlines could not serve "fancy" sandwiches to economy passengers.

From 1956 to 1975, IATA also limited how much travel agents could earn. This was 7% of the ticket price. Some people believed this rule hurt customers. It meant travel agents had less reason to offer better service.

By the late 1970s, many airlines did not like IATA's price rules. Some big airlines, like Singapore Airlines, left IATA.

IATA's Market Share

In 1973, 94% of all international flights were on IATA airlines.

In 2024, IATA reported that international passenger travel reached new highs. It grew by 13.6% compared to 2023. IATA member airlines carry over 80% of all global air traffic. This means IATA airlines operate most international flights.

How IATA Controlled the Market

When IATA acted like a group that set prices, it had a lot of power. Most governments supported IATA's prices. In the US, IATA was allowed to avoid rules against unfair competition. Many IATA airlines were owned by governments. Even private IATA members were often controlled by their governments.

Some airlines that were not part of IATA still charged IATA's prices. However, a few, like Loftleidir Icelandic, offered lower prices.

Competition from Charter Flights

The main competition to IATA's system came from charter airlines. These airlines offered flights where prices were set by supply and demand. In 1972, charter flights made up 28% of international travel. IATA sometimes offered "special fares" to compete with these charter flights.

Some IATA airlines even had their own charter companies. For example, Lufthansa had Condor. This allowed them to offer charter flights that IATA rules did not allow.

Secret Discounts

Some IATA members secretly offered discounts on their flights. In the early 1970s, a US investigation found many secret discounts on transatlantic flights. This led to fines for many airlines. These included Pan Am, Trans World Airlines, and most European national airlines. The investigation started when a travel agent was found with a large amount of money. He admitted it was a secret discount.

In 1982, IATA was called "the world aviation cartel." It was allowed to avoid rules against unfair competition in many countries.

To stop Laker Airways from offering lower prices, IATA members were accused of working together. They tried to lower prices on shared routes to make Laker Airways go out of business. Laker Airways later sued IATA members for unfair competition.

In 2006, the US government stopped allowing IATA to avoid rules against unfair competition for its price meetings.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many flights to stop. Airlines reduced how many seats they sold. This was to keep people apart. This meant airlines were not filling enough seats to make money. IATA said that ticket prices would need to go up a lot for airlines to break even. They also said that the risk of getting sick on a plane was low. This was because seats face forward and air flows from ceiling to floor. Many North American airlines planned to go back to normal seat sales by July 1, 2020. Some people in Canada were upset by this. The Minister of Transport said that keeping distance on planes was only a suggestion, not a rule.

Leaders of IATA

• Sir William Hildred (1946–1966)
• Knut Hammarskjöld (1966–1984)
• Günter Eser (1985–1992)
• Pierre Jean Jeanniot (1993–2002)
• Giovanni Bisignani (2002–2011)
• Tony Tyler (2011–2016)
• Alexandre de Juniac (2016–2021)
• Willie Walsh (2021-present)

Main Focus Areas

Safety in Air Travel

IATA says that safety is its most important goal. The main tool for safety is the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). Many countries also require airlines to pass IOSA. In 2017, flying was safer than ever before. There was only one accident for every 7.36 million flights.

Future safety improvements will use shared information. This information comes from many sources. It is stored in a global safety database. In June 2014, IATA created a special group. This group studied ways to track planes in real time. This was after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared in March 2014.

Making Business Simpler

IATA started a program called "Simplifying the Business" in 2004. This program has brought in important ideas for passenger travel. These include electronic tickets and barcoded boarding passes. Other new ideas are part of the "Fast Travel" plan. These include ways for passengers to handle their own baggage.

A new program started in 2012 is called New Distribution Capability (NDC). This will replace an old messaging system. The new system will use a modern computer language called XML. This will allow travel agents to offer the same choices as airline websites.

Protecting the Environment

IATA members and others in the airline industry have agreed on three environmental goals:

• Improve how much fuel planes use by 1.5% each year from 2009 to 2020.
• Stop increasing carbon emissions from aviation starting in 2020. This means growth should be carbon-neutral.
• Reduce net carbon emissions from aviation by 50% by 2050. This is compared to 2005 levels.

At a meeting in 2013, IATA members strongly supported a plan for carbon-neutral growth. Some groups criticized this plan. They said it relied too much on carbon offsets. They wanted more direct reductions in emissions.

Services IATA Provides

IATA offers advice and training in many areas.

Publications and Standards

IATA sets many important standards. One of the most important is the IATA DGR. This is for safely transporting dangerous goods by air.

See also

In Spanish: Asociación Internacional de Transporte Aéreo para niños