TORONTO — ACTA has issued a statement saying it’s “very pleased” to learn that American Airlines hasrescinded its scheduled policy to stop issuing loyalty points on travel agent bookings.

The airline’s move follows strong advocacy efforts by ACTA, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), and the World Travel Agents Associations Alliance (WTAAA).

As ACTA notes, the proposed policy change would have had an extremely detrimental impact on the retail travel community, limiting traveller loyalty points accrual to bookings made by ‘preferred’ agencies and direct bookings only.

ACTA President Wendy Paradis says: “ACTA expresses its sincere gratitude to all members who actively engaged in the advocacy initiatives, as their participation was instrumental in achieving this positive outcome. While this development represents a significant victory for the retail travel sector, ACTA remains committed to maintaining a vigilant stance in protecting its members against any future actions or policies that may pose a threat to their business operations. ACTA recognizes the importance of safeguarding the interests of its members and will persist in its advocacy efforts on their behalf.”

ACTA will maintain its collaboration with ASTA, WTAAA, and other key players “to ensure that the concerns of the retail travel community are effectively communicated and addressed at the highest levels of the industry.”

American Airlines’ about-face also prompted comment from Zane Kerby, President and CEO of ASTA.

“I’m grateful for American Airlines’ renewed recognition of the essential role that travel advisors play in facilitating air travel for our shared customers. I want to extend my thanks to American Airlines CEO Robert Isom for acknowledging its previous approach was flawed. Reversing the decision to withhold AAdvantage points and miles for agency bookings is a testament to the firm position that travel agencies hold in the airline distribution channel,” said Kerby.