Here’s a summary of other news that caught my attention this week: United Airlines brings close-in award ticketing fees back for trips booked less than 21 days before departure, and modifies fees to change or cancel award tickets. Global Services and 1K members still enjoy a no fee policy across all changes. Premier Executives and…
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American Airlines flights return to Expedia
At the turn of the New Year, Expedia, the country’s most visited Online Travel Agency (OTA), pulled American Airlines flights from their site after American pulled themselves out of Orbitz, another OTA. In a rare show of solidarity with a competitor, Expedia didn’t like the cards being dealt to Orbitz, namely sign up for a…
American Airlines is making headway & Online Travel Agency market share
American Airlines is holding firm in their commitment to further the evolution of how and where the carrier’s tickets are shopped and sold. As I previously blogged, American is seeking to reduce distribution costs by steering away from the legacy global distribution system (GDS) model used by most online travel agencies (OTAs). New signs are…
Market leader Sabre joins the battle against American Airlines
Since I last posted about the battle between American Airlines and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), an even bigger player entered the mix. Sabre, the global distribution system (GDS) birth child of American in the 1960s, initially downgraded American’s flights in their displays and eliminated discounts to the carrier last week, but American won an injunction…
The evolution of airline ticket sales
My interest remains high watching a little battle unfold in the travel industry regarding airline ticket sales and distribution channels. As I blogged about previously, American pulled its flights from Orbitz after the Online Travel Agency (OTA) refused to connect directly to American’s availability, thereby skirting the traditional Global Distribution Systems (GDS). This, then, would…
United Airlines giveth back, American Airlines taketh away
Travel agents and other third parties who supply and sell airline tickets were winners and losers this week. United Airlines reversed its policy that restricted some U.S. travel agencies from using the carrier’s merchant service account when processing airline ticket payments with credit cards. These fees, which generally represent between 1 and 3% of the…