Skift

Episode Notes American Airlines recently shook up its ticket distribution strategy to help it gain more control of airfares. That move has resulted in corporate travel agencies seeing huge gaps in ticket prices, reports Corporate Travel Editor Matthew Parsons.  American moved 40 percent of its airfares to its website and channels powered by New Distribution Capability, a technology that gives airlines more power over their content. It also stopped selling tickets through what it describes as third-party legacy technology platforms. Although three major global distribution systems now provide access to the carrier’s New Distribution Capability-enabled fares, Parsons writes corporate travel agencies are seeing large fluctuations in ticket prices.  One agency, AmTrav, said 35 percent of its itineraries had lower fares in New Distribution Capability than in standard distribution systems. Next, the growing number of travelers combining business and leisure during their trips are becoming a more valuable market for