Kayak has admitted its coverage of fares direct from US airlines has become “a bit less comprehensive” after a row with American Airlines ended without a resolution. The US carrier pulled the plug on its fare feed with Kayak – and sister meta search site, Sidestep – on August 1 following a bitter stand-off over…
Kayak-American Airlines row ‘a step backwards’ for users
Kayak has admitted its coverage of fares direct from US airlines has become “a bit less comprehensive” after a row with American Airlines ended without a resolution.
The US carrier pulled the plug on its fare feed with Kayak – and sister meta search site, Sidestep – on August 1 following a bitter stand-off over how AA’s fares and availability were displayed on the two sites.
Kayak claimed AA had asked it to curtail showing fares via online travel agencies – primarily Orbitz in the US – amid reported concerns the carrier had about paying commission fees.
The meta search site is now only displaying schedules for AA flights and has called the situation a “step backwards for consumers”.
A Kayak spokeswoman said: “Consumers are still able to compare AA itineraries along with those from hundreds of leading airlines, and if they wish to find the price or purchase an AA ticket, they can still do so by clicking on the ‘Info’ link and we’ll send them into the Orbitz booking path.”
AA could not be reached for comment.
