Expedia Leaves Egencia Out Of AA Action

Expedia officials confirmed that Egencia, formerly Expedia Corporate Travel, “currently” would not be impacted by Expedia’s decision to limit the display of American Airlines’ flights on its site. As of yesterday, Expedia “adjusted the way that American Airlines’ fares are displayed” on its sites, according to an official statement. “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.”
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Furthermore, Expedia affirmed that AA “only intends to do business with travel agencies through a new model that is anti-consumer and anti-choice,” according to the statement. “We believe American Airlines’ proposed direct connect model will result in higher costs and reduced transparency for consumers, making it difficult to compare AA ticket prices and options with offerings by other airlines. American Airlines’ direct connect model is of questionable, if any, benefit to travelers, costly to build and maintain and would compromise travel agents’ ability to provide travelers with the best selection. We cannot support efforts that we believe are fundamentally bad for travelers.”