From 'The Industry Standard'
Jan 24, 2000, 10:43 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: San Diego,CA,USA
Posts: 68
From 'The Industry Standard'
The magazine deals with internet economy and has this small artical...
I wonder if they know about www.smarterliving.com
Flying in formation: Twenty-three airlines are banding together to make looking for fare specials online less like a five-stop hop in bad weather. A new site, as yet unnamed, will consolidate the major U.S. and foreign airlines' oneline-only last-minute weekend fares, allowing consumers to comparison-shop Web fares, a function that gives the new entity a leg up on established players.
Jan 25, 2000, 1:39 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: SEA
Posts: 3,178
This is the site that was announced by DL, UA, NW & CO a few months ago. They have now added a number of foreign carriers and most of the US carriers.
Sounds like it could be the final attempt by the airlines to 'kill' travel agents. That's a shame...
Sounds like it could be the final attempt by the airlines to 'kill' travel agents. That's a shame...
Jan 25, 2000, 6:37 am
#3
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: May 1999
Posts: 46,817
Jan 25, 2000, 7:15 am
#4
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NJ
Posts: 3,335
I believe that the joint site, if it offers internet fares or fares which cannot be purchased elsewhere, may be attacked as a joint or group boycott by the airlines of travel agents, and found to constitute an antitrust violation.
Each manufacturer or producer of a product is usually entitled to make their own decisions about the method of distribution of their product. So, if ONE producer decides they do not want to sell through travel agents, they do not have to, and it does not violate the antitrust laws.
However, if a group of manufacturers or producers (or, in this case, airlines) get together and announce plans to sell a particular product (low fare tickets) only through one distribution channel that they control themselves, they could very well be violating the antitrust laws. This probably constitutes a group boycott against all other internet travel agencies (expedia, travelocity, preview, itn, etc.), to say nothing of all regular travel agents.
Stay tuned on this one, folks. I don't think we have heard the last on this one. I would be very surprised to find that the airlines are going to run a joint site which they would control which would be the only place you could get discount internet fare type tickets.
Each manufacturer or producer of a product is usually entitled to make their own decisions about the method of distribution of their product. So, if ONE producer decides they do not want to sell through travel agents, they do not have to, and it does not violate the antitrust laws.
However, if a group of manufacturers or producers (or, in this case, airlines) get together and announce plans to sell a particular product (low fare tickets) only through one distribution channel that they control themselves, they could very well be violating the antitrust laws. This probably constitutes a group boycott against all other internet travel agencies (expedia, travelocity, preview, itn, etc.), to say nothing of all regular travel agents.
Stay tuned on this one, folks. I don't think we have heard the last on this one. I would be very surprised to find that the airlines are going to run a joint site which they would control which would be the only place you could get discount internet fare type tickets.