The U.S. Department of Transportation wrote a “display bias” letter to major global distribution systems and online travel agencies, warning them “not to engage in undisclosed display bias.”
US government delivers transparent warning to GDSs and online travel agencies
United Continental: Working with GDSs, but they need to keep up
Like US Airways and in contrast to American Airlines, the merged United Continental appears to be taking a conciliatory approach in its dealings with global distribution system partners.
Analyst: Other airlines to join American Airlines in distribution fight

American Airlines may be standing up to the GDSs by itself for now, but other airlines will eventually join the push for lower distribution costs.
American Airlines-GDS negotiations have come up empty so far

American Airlines says it invited the major global distribution systems to tie into its new direct-connect technology and negotiated with them for more than a year.
Open AXIS board rejects dedicated seat for GDSs

The Open AXIS Group board rejected a move to offer the GDSs a dedicated board seat that would rotate among them periodically.
Standard message: Sabre, Amadeus, Travelport step in line over Open Axis
To a great extent, the global distribution systems, usually cutthroat competitors, are speaking with one voice — literally — about a new standards body.
Travel agencies, distributors endorse standards, but only a few airlines follow
Will American Airlines make travel agents, corporations pay for content?
If you believe the Business Travel Coalition and industry rumblings, American Airlines is serious about proceeding with plans to make users — presumably travel management companies, corporations and global distribution systems — pay for content by leveraging its direct-connect business with Farelogix and perhaps other distributors.
Would Travelport IPO deliver Orbitz to Expedia?

A fresh report from Bloomberg that Travelport is plannning a $3.2 billion public offering in the U.K. set off speculation that the company could divest its 48% stake in Orbitz Worldwide in the process and deliver OWW to Expedia Inc.
In a note to investors Dec. 18, Jake Fuller, an analyst at Soleil Securities, doesn’t come down on one side or another about whether Expedia would scoop up Orbitz in tandem with a reported February 2010 Travelport IPO, but he says a potential “combo points to potential accretion in the 5%+ range” for Expedia.
Fuller, who also analyzes this sort of stuff for PhoCusWright, cautions that investors likely would react negatively to such a move by Expedia because the OTA, with Orbitz in hand, would increase its risk in further exposing itself “to the low margin domestic [airline] ticket business.”










