Originally Posted by bealine
Facetious, I know, but IATA has never, in fact, had "rules" - they were never more than "agreements" and these IATA "agreements" are now virtually dead!!!
On a macro level, I agree with you about the decline in IATA's influence.
But they remain an important part of mainstream/traditional/legacy carrier operations. If those carriers have signed IATA agreements with each other (which they usually have), then those agreements are legally binding and cannot just be ignored as a matter of discretion. In that sense, they are still "rules". IATA standard agreements are used (IIRC) for more than just baggage interlining and revenue prorating; they also provide the model for ground handling agency agreements and such like.