The first half of 2009 will see continued consolidation in the travel industry. The big and strong will be getting bigger and stronger and the small will face a tough time. Industry consolidation at the same time will be up against increased consumer search for better bargains.
Are the big three online travel agencies about to become the big two … or one? Maybe. There are signs that something is in the works.
The reasons for American Airlines flight displays disappearing from kayak.com are still a bit cloudy, but it appears that Kayak removed the flight listings because American demanded an all-AA-fares-or-nothing display. They got nothing.
When the Internet Age began with online alrline bookings there were basically four big guys on the block — Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and OneTravel.com. Yahoo had some sort of travel engine as well, but it didn’t get much attention. Today the sector has exploded and the flight deals available on these sites can be very different.