Dealing with the Impacts of PCI and NewGen ISS Implementation

Dealing with the Impacts of PCI and NewGen ISS Implementation 

Now that implementation of both PCI DSS compliance and NewGen ISS are underway many of our ACTA members are trying to better understand how these two initiatives impact their business, and looking for tools available to ease them in this transition phase. 

ACTA remains very active on both issues on behalf of our members and we urge you to consult our website for both new and archived webinars, articles and other resources to help you understand your requirements in meeting compliance and the possible consequences of non-compliance. More information available in the Members only section of our website at www.acta.ca/PCI

Meeting PCI Compliance 

  • As a member benefit, ACTA has negotiated a reduced rate for ACTA members with ACCEL-PCI, a Canadian company that has developed an online tool to assist ACTA members in becoming PCI compliant. If you choose this option you can register at www.accel-pci.com and a confirmation email will be sent to you outlining your next steps. Services including employee training are available in both French and English.
  • Members who wish to obtain compliance on their own can refer to the guidelines on the PCI Security Standards website, www.pcisecuritystandards.org
  • As of March 22, 2018 Canadian travel agencies started to receive communication from IATA explaining how to submit proof of compliance and the deadline to complete. Failure to comply with IATA’s requirements will result in an “Administrative Non-Compliance” notice, which must be remedied within 30 days or face further consequences for non-compliance including restrictions on the use of credit card payments.  

Your ACTA team is staying on top of any new developments on this issue and will keep you advised. 

NewGen ISS

The phased rollout of NewGen ISS aimed at modernizing IATA’s agency programme, was implemented in Canada on March 1st beginning with the movement to new payment options including IATA EasyPay and the introduction of three new accreditation models. 

  • Agents have the flexibility to choose the Accreditation option that best suits their business and may voluntarily convert as their business evolves
  • Each Accreditation model comes with different accreditation requirements, payment options and risk management 

IATA has a NewGen ISS microsite https://newgeniss.iata.org/ with specific information for Airlines and for Travel Agents, and NewGen ISS eLearning will be available soon. We strongly recommend Members review the accreditation models to determine which one works best for your situation.

ACTA has concerns about how the new platform impacts our members and we will continue to work with the World Travel Agency Associations Alliance (WTAAA) about those concerns and continue to discuss our concerns with IATA and the airlines about problems this new platform may present for some of our members. Closely tied to NewGen ISS is the soon to be launched IATA initiative called Transparency in Payments, which allows for the acceptance of travel agent credit cards by airlines. ACTA will provide more details on this program as information becomes available.