AA "de-preferenced" by Expedia - "suspension" now lifted April 4, 2011
Jan 6, 2011, 3:56 pm
#286
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXP 1.5MM, Asiana Club Silver, KE Morning Calm, Hyatt Platinum, Amtrak Select
Posts: 7,161
Wasn't AA's use of Sabre supposed to be phased out by going onto HP Jetstream anyway? 
Jan 6, 2011, 5:25 pm
#287
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Seat 1A
Programs: Non-status paid F/J (best value for $$$)
Posts: 4,126
Jan 6, 2011, 5:47 pm
#288
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP,2MM, DL Gold,Starwood PLT
Posts: 3,876
Sabre continues to host AA reservations for now. The GDS distribution contract is a seperate issue. This hosting agreement for res is now on a year to year basis.
Ironically, AA res is hosted in the travel agency GDS partition (UO) due to the long AA legacy. As part of the spin off of Sabre, AA get's hosted reservations/departure control for a low cost. The essentially pay for any enhancements to the res system and pay HP ( formally EDS) for any infrastructure charges since Sabre contracted out the network and hardware to EDS.
Jan 7, 2011, 9:31 am
#289
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: OH
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, Marriot Lifetime Gold
Posts: 9,545
Well, AA has been a preferred carrier for my company for years but now they are no longer showing up on our online booking tool. I just had to book a trip LAX-JFK for Monday and I'm on Delta 
I really hope that they get it resolved soon since I'll be booking several trips to Latin America in the near future and I want to be able to requal for EXP
I really hope that they get it resolved soon since I'll be booking several trips to Latin America in the near future and I want to be able to requal for EXP
Jan 7, 2011, 10:17 am
#290
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Texas
Programs: AA EXP, UA Premier Plat, Alaska MVP Gold, HHonors Diamond, SPG Platinum, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 2,053
Well, AA has been a preferred carrier for my company for years but now they are no longer showing up on our online booking tool. I just had to book a trip LAX-JFK for Monday and I'm on Delta
I really hope that they get it resolved soon since I'll be booking several trips to Latin America in the near future and I want to be able to requal for EXP
I really hope that they get it resolved soon since I'll be booking several trips to Latin America in the near future and I want to be able to requal for EXP
Jan 7, 2011, 12:26 pm
#291
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Another example of AA greediness. The airline industry is finally on the cusp of some modicum of propsperity (I use that term loosely). And what does AA do? Make it harder for customers to buy their product. The emails have been flying today in my company about what this means, as several of us are heavy AA users. One has approached CO/UA about a status match and will move if he gets it.
Jan 7, 2011, 1:03 pm
#293
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 1999
Posts: 12,097
AA seems to have thought this was the perfect time to strike. Given the need of management managing in line with meeting quarter-to-quarter and year-over-year financial reporting expectations, this may well be one of the better moments for AA to try to pull off such a stunt.
) I just wished management stopped "meeting quarter-to-quarter and year-over-year financial reporting expectations" and focused on long term value creation instead. 
Jan 7, 2011, 1:04 pm
#294
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mostly AUS or rural England
Programs: BAEC redundant Bronze, AAdvantage Lifetime PLT, CO, WN, B6
Posts: 6,526
Here's what one article thinks is going to happen:
link
I disagree with the analogy they use with Google, Facebook, AOL, Yahoo, but I understand the point he's trying to make.
link
I disagree with the analogy they use with Google, Facebook, AOL, Yahoo, but I understand the point he's trying to make.
Of course, travel websites do provide two important functions: helping customers compare prices and combining services from different airlines (for example, using one airline to get to a destination and using another one to return).
Those two functions, however, may be better (and more cheaply) performed by travel search engines like Kayak.com or some Smartphone app that has platform-like qualities.
Those two functions, however, may be better (and more cheaply) performed by travel search engines like Kayak.com or some Smartphone app that has platform-like qualities.
Jan 7, 2011, 1:08 pm
#295
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mostly AUS or rural England
Programs: BAEC redundant Bronze, AAdvantage Lifetime PLT, CO, WN, B6
Posts: 6,526
Why would AA want to buck the trend? Long term value & dividends are so "last century" - modern man creates value from tradng without breaking sweat. Who needs customers when you can trade baby, trade.
Jan 7, 2011, 1:33 pm
#296
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 6,769
Yeah. I think this writer falls short on several aspects. Yahoo can search just like Google. Isn't FaceBook a portal of some sort? He's basically arguing that people want to do specific customized things instead of going to a site that does everything for you. It's like a step backwards where everyone builds their own wheel.
Jan 7, 2011, 1:46 pm
#297
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL, AA 1MM LT GLD, SPG PLAT, National Exec Selc, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Silver
Posts: 8,278
Well, AA has been a preferred carrier for my company for years but now they are no longer showing up on our online booking tool. I just had to book a trip LAX-JFK for Monday and I'm on Delta
I really hope that they get it resolved soon since I'll be booking several trips to Latin America in the near future and I want to be able to requal for EXP
I really hope that they get it resolved soon since I'll be booking several trips to Latin America in the near future and I want to be able to requal for EXP
Jan 8, 2011, 1:58 am
#298
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AAdvantage EXP 2.9MM, Fairmont PC Platinum, HHonors Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 92
A nice thing about the recent agreement with BA/IB is that many AA flights are now also BA/IB codeshares....all of which remain visible on Expedia, Orbitz, etc.
Presumably this means I can book a BA/IB codeshare (on AA metal) and still take advantage of AA upgrades, evips, etc. Can anyone confirm?
Presumably this means I can book a BA/IB codeshare (on AA metal) and still take advantage of AA upgrades, evips, etc. Can anyone confirm?
Last edited by blout1; Jan 8, 2011 at 2:35 am
Jan 8, 2011, 2:47 am
#299
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,707
You need to book the AA flight...not the codeshare flight to use a eVIP
A nice thing about the recent agreement with BA/IB is that many AA flights are now also BA/IB codeshares....all of which remain visible on Expedia, Orbitz, etc.
Presumably this means I can book a BA/IB codeshare (on AA metal) and still take advantage of AA upgrades, evips, etc. Can anyone confirm?
Presumably this means I can book a BA/IB codeshare (on AA metal) and still take advantage of AA upgrades, evips, etc. Can anyone confirm?
Jan 8, 2011, 4:57 am
#300
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AAdvantage EXP 2.9MM, Fairmont PC Platinum, HHonors Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 92
For biz customers forced to use corporate booking systems that now exclude AA (such as Orbitz for Business), this approach allows users to book tickets on some AA metal, however....
I wonder if AA might be receptive to waiving the no-eVIP rule for codeshare (AA metal) flights booked on Orbitz, Expedia, etc. It would be the "right" thing to do in response to major customer inconvenience.