We reported in
The Beat on Wednesday that American Airlines said it had not disclosed economic terms for its planned
direct connect initiative. Today, the airline issued a slightly more specific statement:
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"American Airlines has not declared it will charge agencies or customers for content or withhold content. We fully intend to make available our content for our travel agent partners going forward and will provide additional details about our distribution plans at the appropriate time." AA said it was responding to "
misinformation." The American Society of Travel Agents and Business Travel Coalition have cited AA's lack of response to them--and AA CEO
Gerard Arpey's year-old comments about some day getting intermediaries to pay--for their assertion that AA is planning a "user-pay" model.
AA today also did not say it would not charge distributors.