American Airlines: Lowest-Price Guarantee on main Website

[babypurin]

American Airlines will offer a lowest-price guarantee for tickets sold on its website beginning Tuesday. That comes as the nation's largest carrier tries to cut costs and perhaps entice more people to fly.

Customers who find an American Airlines ticket offered on another website for at least $5 less than the carrier's own site will be refunded the difference plus a $50 travel voucher.

American's goal is to raise the percentage of tickets it sells online. Fort Worth-based American sells 35% of its tickets itself, either on its website, at reservations call centers or at ticket counters. For the rest, American relies heavily on travel agents and other websites, such as Expedia and Travelocity. That's a costly arrangement compared to some rivals, such as Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, which sells 55% of its tickets on its own website.

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=68658253-CDF5-4CDA-B0C9-84627BCD27AB

[matt1168]

For those of you that don't know, Continental is doing this as well.

I wonder what this is doing to sites like Expedia and Travelocity. Also, does anybody know if this includes Hotwire?

[ATrude777]

That is awesome, that means i will ALWAYS be booking at AA.com then woo hoo!

Alex

[assghanistan]

i believe NW offers it too.

[uy707]

The move by itself is worth monitoring in how it will developp ... At first glance, it can be read as a barely veiled ultimatum to some sellers who might market AA more or less at net price, ie the price AA agreed to sell them.
Alain

[chrisburns]

i believe NW offers it too.

Yep they introduced it mid last year.

[FlyingPhotog]

This is exactly why WN only sells tickets thru southwest.com. Why allow someone else to get a piece of the pie?

[assghanistan]

This is exactly why WN only sells tickets thru southwest.com. Why allow someone else to get a piece of the pie?

because we poor saps can't live off of the lower load factors like you chumps can! we have to fight each other for the leftovers by selling on other sites.