Travel agents file ticket pricing complaint against American Airlines

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) claims that American Airlines has removed 40% of its fare inventory from distribution channels used by travel agents and travel management companies following the implementation of new systems with the IATA New Distribution Capability (NDC) technology. ASTA has filed a complaint with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) accusing American Airlines of unfair trade practice, claiming it has caused “substantially higher air ticket prices for consumers and frustrated travel management companies.” ASTA said the change in distribution has meant travel management companies are “unable to fulfill the duty of care owed to business travelers.” American Airlines responded to Skift’s request for comment stating, “American has made huge investments to make travel agencies’ transition to NDC easier.” The airline claimed it was the “only carrier to connect its NDC content to all three global distribution systems – work that was done explicitly at the request of our travel agency partners.”<br/>