American Airlines cut ties with the travel sites

The battle being waged by American Airlines to travel portals pitch rises. If at the end of last year, the American partner of Iberia stopped selling their tickets on Orbitz electronic platform in 2011 he premiered with the release of Expedia. A decision could encourage other airlines to follow in your footsteps and put a serious damper on the dotcoms.

The American explanation is simple, and responds to an intense dispute that the airline has with the various travel sites on the price of tickets. The company's customers can purchase travel through its Web site (www. aa. Com) with the same ease as on those platforms without having to pay more for them.


Expedia and Orbitz are two of the electronic search engines that allow you to compare the prices of flights. American Airlines said in a note that it will continue selling tickets on other sites like Kayak and Priceline. But his goal is to sell more tickets via their own websites, and provide customized packages for hotels and restaurants.

Thus expected to reduce the costs associated with the commissions that airlines pay for tickets searches on those platforms. A third of online booking is made through such sites. What remains to be seen is how the output of Expedia and Orbitz will affect the total ticket sales, and if that offset what will save on costs.

After the break with Orbitz, Expedia started difficult rival for the internet display the results of American. The table blow for the airline, however, can also damage these platforms. Especially if you consider that there are low-cost carrier like Southwest Airlines, which offer their own very cheap prices of tickets.

Delta Air Lines also is in dispute with these platforms. Last month cheapoair notified. com, OneTravel. com and bookit. com rescinding the agreements that allowed them to operate as travel agencies authorized by the company, and therefore sell their tickets, reports Bloomberg.

• American Airlines Removed From Expedia (02/01/2011)
• Orbitz & Expedia Drop American Airlines - Will It Have Any Affect On Your Travel Plans? (02/01/2011)
• Expedia Stops Selling American Airlines Tickets (02/01/2011)
• Is American Airlines screwing over online travel sites? (02/01/2011)
• Expedia suspends sale of American Airlines flights [BREAKING] (01/01/2011)

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