Friday, March 12, 2010

Is a backlash coming against the airlines? I hope so!

Here's a link to an interesting article on 'disappearing fares' on airline and online agency sites. http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/03/05/disappearing.airfares/


The reporter seems pretty ill-informed for the most part with this surface article, but the comments are fascinating! They get pretty heated with people suspecting browser spying and bait and switch etc. Hmmm, yet so few people are actually willing to point the finger where it belongs, except this poster:

dda21
So many people make comments without any REAL FACTSmy family operates 4 walk-in agencies, we have contracts and we operate an online site. 17 yrs in the industry so let me try to make you guys understand.the airlines load fares to a company called ATPCO, the GDS(resevation systems) then update thier ...more
So many people make comments without any REAL FACTS

my family operates 4 walk-in agencies, we have contracts and we operate an online site. 17 yrs in the industry so let me try to make you guys understand.

the airlines load fares to a company called ATPCO, the GDS(resevation systems) then update thier system 3-6 times per day. these systems are the same for Online websites and your conrner agency - the 3 majors are are
1) Amadeus, 2) Worldspan, 3) Sabre

ALL and i sau ALL the online sites are powered by 1 of these. Actauly Sabre Owns Travelocity, which was created by American airlines so the results favors that airline. Sabre searches for lowest fare disregard connections.

Worldspan powers - Expedia, priceline, part of Orbitz and Cheaptickets and Hotwire
Amadeus powers - Cheapoair, allcheapfares, airfare.com

SO everyone is looking at the Same inventory, no matter where you are searching..there is no bait and Switch...considering we make no Money on the price of the fare. Sites make money on service fees, since 9/11 with airlines cut commissions. the contracts pay backeneds for volumes sales so It is actauly in the best intrest of the website to have lower fares to sell more...not higher fares..

the caching is correct in the article but almost ALL online website use this due to the load the internet has on servers so it is not a Industry practice..it is how the internet works.

the airlines have the control to remove and add inventroy as they please so NO corner agency or website is to blame. in fact i find it amazing how people want to pay nothing but want service as if they walk into a BMW dealership. online sites make 5-20 per sale if anything..when you figure in the marketing cost, personal, 800 #'s and servers. we persoanly have had our fees as low as $5 to compete for low fares...Online sites have conversions of 1% if we are lucky. So before anyone assumes...get your facts straight!



If I could find this person and give him or her a high five I would! I couldn't have said it better. The blame rests squarely on t he shoulders of the airlines. They are the ones that set prices. Agents, whether online or not, have absolutely NOTHING to do with this process. No one makes money off these tickets, but the airlines. So don't get mad at Travelocity or me because that fare changed in the last hour. Write your congressman about it and put some pressure on these airlines!