Air Travel Distribution From A to Z

Summary

The air travel shopping and booking process, circa 2000, was very structured, and still bore the DNA of a regulated industry in which airlines had a single product: transportation (albeit with a variety of seats and amenities) that took passengers from Point A to Point B. But this process has evolved greatly over time, especially in the past several years, as airlines have pushed harder for direct sales that bypass a range of intermediaries in the travel value chain. This article outlines the traditional way in which the air booking process has operated, and considers new models that are being explored to effectively accommodate the various ancillary products and services that airlines now offer.