American has pulled out of Orbitz!

[judydivescoz]

Just read on another forum that American will no longer book flights thru Orbitz. Here is a link to the story: American Airlines pulls fares from Orbitz - Travel - News - msnbc.com
Hope this does not start a new trend!!!

 

[DandyDon]

I'd read of the threat some time ago but hoped it wouldn't go thru. I never liked American, but they've been a backup choice for me at least. That also means we cannot use the 200entertain $200 discount on air & hotel packages with AA flights, or even use Orbitz to shop for flights.

Sidestep/Kayak still shops and quotes AA fares, then links directly to AA.com

 

[Coral-Reefer]

Wonder why?

 

[DandyDon]

Wonder why?

That's well explained in the linked story. A little complicated maybe, but covered, and it's interesting how various subsidiaries come into play on all this. I remember in the 80s when American was really pushy about its Sabre system: Sabre (computer system) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Diver Kat]

Interesting ..... luckily we always use the $200 discount code for a hotel/car package, and book our flights independently. But it does seem like it will make comparison shopping through Orbitz a bit lacking as we'll have to check on American separately.

 

[billmosel]

Try yapta.com. They have worked for me in the past.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

fyi: American Airlines has now pulled out of Expedia also and are offering a 15% discount for bookings made by the end of the year.

Promotion Code: LPSF7NV4JR6P

 

[DandyDon]

fyi: American Airlines has now pulled out of Expedia also and are offering a 15% discount for bookings made by the end of the year.

Promotion Code: LPSF7NV4JR6P

Sweet! I don't trust any airline site for shopping as they will track your searches and bump the fares on your computer, but sites like Sidestep.com are good about searching the best fares, then linking directly to the airline's site. Discounts are nice...!

 

[kmurray719]

I read what AA has to say about expedia, but I don't really get it:

Q: Are American's fares still available on Expedia?

A: While tickets for air travel on American remain available for purchase on Expedia, it is making it more difficult for consumers to find American flights and fares on its website. This may lead consumers into believing that they have fewer choices, even in situations where American's fares are lower, and schedules are superior, than other airlines that are listed more prominently.
American Airlines Fares Not Featured On Orbitz Or Expedia | Latest News | AA.com

So the AA fares are still on expedia, but expedia isn't displaying them prominently?

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks, Kmurry - I hadn't looked further as I've avoided flying American when possible for decades and my experiences in trying to shop Expedia have never seemed rewarding and I have come to avoid them as well. Those are just my feelings based on my memories of my experiences. Anyway, a quick check on two sites...

Expedia looks like they are hiding AA fares, aside from the point that they don't do a good job with any of them...

Sidestep wins again...

Now why Expedia tries to charge $614 for the 3 airlines it shows vs Sidestep offering fares well below that on 4 choices, I don't know? (Ignore the high fare on United as Cont and United are merging as that is a glitch reading.)

But it seems that Expedia and AA are feuding! This war could have broad and long term consequences, and I suspect the shopping customer will suffer. Gives me one more reason to avoid AA, altho I have flown them enough to accumulate a free ticket - that I just don't want to use....
Expedia plays hardball with American, supports rival Orbitz

Expedia is coming to the defense of its online travel rival Orbitz in a dispute around how tickets from American Airlines are sold online. Just a few days after American said that it would stop selling tickets through Orbitz, Expedia has jumped into the fray by making it much harder for consumers to find tickets from the airline on the Expedia Web site.

"This has been done in light of both American Airlines' recent decision to prevent Orbitz from selling its inventory and a possible disruption in Expedia's ability to sell American Airlines tickets when our contract with American Airlines expires," Expedia said in a statement obtained by Reuters.

Obviously, this is a huge battle in how airline tickets are sold online. And it could have big implications on Bellevue-based Expedia. American fired back at Expedia, saying that the online travel vendor is engaged in "favoritism toward other airlines’ airfares."