The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that “YY” fares will be retired from 31 October 2018.

The decision to remove these multilateral, interlineable fares was taken after a vote at the IATA Passenger Tariffs Conference on 28 June. IATA said the decision reflects the “dramatic transformation that continues to take place in the distribution of airline products”.

Established in 1945, YY fares enabled passengers to purchase a single ticket in a single currency, offering worldwide travel on different airlines and luggage checked through to final destination.

Until the 1980s most consumers travelled on YY fares, but factors including increased competition, deregulation, alliances and liberalised bilateral agreements led to YY fares being gradually by airlines’ own fares. Today YY fares account for less than 0.1% of tickets sold.

“YY fares were the backbone of global airfares for much of the last 70 years. But their relevance has been overtaken by changing markets and consumer demands,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general & CEO. “Airlines are responding to this with innovations that will benefit consumers with more choice. And IATA’s focus is on enabling airlines to bring these innovations to consumers using modern day marketing and distribution capabilities – NDC and ONE Order.”

Following the disappearance of YY fares, IATA said it would continue to support the “multilateral interline system”.