Evidence is emerging of a growing tension between airlines and travel search engines over how prices for air tickets are displayed to users in results.
At the core of the issue is the contract that a number of airlines are trying to impose on metasearch brands in order to improve their visibility when a user looks for fares and, inevitably, the likelihood of them booking with the carrier.
Whilst there are lots of options for an airline to improve their position in metasearch engine results, such as paid placement in ad units and so on, carriers are looking – in the words of one insider – for a more “heavy-handed tactic”.
The practice in question goes to the heart once more of the direct-vs-intermediary battle being played out publicly in the hotel industry – airlines want to “own the customer”, so therefore want to stop travellers booking with an online travel agency.
Some airlines are now alleged to be trying to force metasearch engines to sign a contract that says only the carrier’s fares can be shown in a search result to consumers, with prices for the same ticket from online travel agencies excluded.
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