IATA (Travel Agent) Code Box Populated, But I Am Not a TA
May 16, 2015, 5:16 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 31
IATA (Travel Agent) Code Box Populated, But I Am Not a TA
Today I noticed when checking rates at the IHG website that there is a 9-digit number in the IATA code box; perhaps it has been shown in the past, but I haven't noticed it before. This same number appears whether I sign in or not. I cannot delete the number. In an online chat I asked why, since I am not a travel agent, this code appears. I also thought the number was different when I logged in with my spouse's rewards number, which is why I asked the 2nd question, but I found it was the same after I had completed the chat.
Since the chat, I went to a different PC and accessed the IHG site, and the IATA number box is not populated, whether I sign in or not. So it seems the code is associated with my specific PC. I thought fellow travelers might be interested in the agent's answer, which is obviously incomplete or incorrect, since the code doesn't show up when I use another PC to go through the booking process at the IHG site. I did verify that the rates are the same on both computers, which is good. I will try deleting all cookies on my PC and see if that gets rid of the IATA. Here's the chat:
Ester Gay: 18:08
The IATA number online is linked with the website where you are booking it. For example if you would book through our website, a certain IATA number would always show up on the reservation and cannot be deleted. The same is true if you would book through a different website. For other websites, you may not see the IATA auto populate on their page but a certain number linked with that particular website is going to be linked to the reservation.
me: 18:10
So why is the IATA number different for me than it is for my wife, when we are both booking online on the IHG web site?
Ester Gay: 18:12
Our website is not only associated with 1 IATA number. Since the location, dates and room types are different, different IATA numbers would also show up. If you are bothered with IATA numbers showing online, you may just send an online complaint form at https://www.ihg.com/hotels/us/en/customer-care/forms .
Ester Gay: 18:13
You may also contact our Guest Relations office at 1 800 621 0555 or [email protected]. They are available from 7:00 am - 10:00 pm MST .
me: 18:14
Do these IATA numbers affect the rates shown in any way?
Ester Gay: 18:14
No. It does not.
Since the chat, I went to a different PC and accessed the IHG site, and the IATA number box is not populated, whether I sign in or not. So it seems the code is associated with my specific PC. I thought fellow travelers might be interested in the agent's answer, which is obviously incomplete or incorrect, since the code doesn't show up when I use another PC to go through the booking process at the IHG site. I did verify that the rates are the same on both computers, which is good. I will try deleting all cookies on my PC and see if that gets rid of the IATA. Here's the chat:
Ester Gay: 18:08
The IATA number online is linked with the website where you are booking it. For example if you would book through our website, a certain IATA number would always show up on the reservation and cannot be deleted. The same is true if you would book through a different website. For other websites, you may not see the IATA auto populate on their page but a certain number linked with that particular website is going to be linked to the reservation.
me: 18:10
So why is the IATA number different for me than it is for my wife, when we are both booking online on the IHG web site?
Ester Gay: 18:12
Our website is not only associated with 1 IATA number. Since the location, dates and room types are different, different IATA numbers would also show up. If you are bothered with IATA numbers showing online, you may just send an online complaint form at https://www.ihg.com/hotels/us/en/customer-care/forms .
Ester Gay: 18:13
You may also contact our Guest Relations office at 1 800 621 0555 or [email protected]. They are available from 7:00 am - 10:00 pm MST .
me: 18:14
Do these IATA numbers affect the rates shown in any way?
Ester Gay: 18:14
No. It does not.
May 16, 2015, 5:24 pm
#2
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Bangkok, Thailand. No longer Palm Coast, FL though still exiled, again, from the Bay Area.
Programs: Only the good ones
Posts: 5,153
If you are a MyPoints member, or other online shopping portal, their number seems to populate the box on your computer without you having to do anything, so that they can get their commission. Right now, MyPoints has 15 points per dollar.