Another American revenge against the agencies: Will the news reach Europe? , Airline News, RSS2

There is no limit to the abuses of airlines against travel agencies. The latest episode involves American Airlines, which has decided, apparently unilaterally, that any passengers who purchase tickets from a travel agency will not have points credited to their loyalty cards. This measure will come into effect from May 1 (agencies are fed up with the misbehavior of airline companies).

The question in Spain is whether this measure foreshadows what could happen in Europe, and Spain in particular, as it has in the past.

However, the US considers an exception with agencies it itself describes as “preferred”, and they must use the NDC to broadcast their operations.

It is true that American is going a little ahead of its competitors, but above all it must be said that, seen over time, it has simply arrived earlier, because other airlines arrived later. The US has stepped up its war on GDS channels in the fight to reduce intermediation costs.

In that battle, the American says it has achieved that in the last quarter of 2023, 80 percent of the reservations are made through the NDC, compared to 69 percent a year ago.

From now on, the rules are this: Economy class tickets purchased through any agency, regardless of the method of contact, will not accrue loyalty points. Points are retained for those who shop on the US website. Points will only accrue on other tickets if they are from “preferred” agencies that use NDC and of course, if they are purchased from American.