Skift Take
Three days into the airline's ticketing shakeup, travel agencies are seeing big gaps in ticket prices. They were warned, but there appear to be other issues on the horizon.
Corporate travel agencies are now seeing wide discrepancies in airfares after American Airlines overhauled its ticket distribution strategy.
On April 3, the carrier moved 40 percent of its airfares to its "owned channel" (AA.com) as well as New Distribution Capability-enabled channels, and in the process stopping their sale through what it calls third-party legacy technology platforms (that use decades-old EDIFACT technology.) This includes EDIFACT technology and communications through global distribution systems, which most corporate travel agencies use.
However, all three major global distribution systems (Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport) can also now provide access to American Airlines' New Distribution Capability-enabled fares. Sabre was the last one to join the party, just about, on March 29.
While in Europe several major airlines have already aggressively pushed their direct retailing strategies, American Airlines is the first carrier in the U.S. to move ahead, perhaps reflecting its acknowledgement of fewer pure business trips being flown.
And back in September, American Airlines said that its lower fares woul