TTG reported
here last week that British travel management company execs were headed to Atlanta for "showdown" talks with Delta over discounts apparently available on its Web site which are not provided through global distribution systems. GDS firms "are all supposed to have signed full-content agreements with Delta, meaning agents should always have access to the cheapest tickets," the publication reported. Here's Delta's explanation…
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"Delta is aware that in some non-U.S. locations, there can occasionally be discrepancies in the fares displayed in its worldwide delta.com site and the various GDSs. These occasional discrepancies are largely due to delta.com currently having U.S. based point-of sale logic, whereas the displays of the GDS are often localised to country where the GDS subscriber is located. Delta is currently evaluating implementing localised country logic in the near future."
The issue is reminiscent of complaints over the years about fare discrepancies between GDSs, which has been explained by the differences in timing and frequency of fare loads. Full content agreements are only as airtight as the technology to enable them.