United Airlines will remove basic economy fares from legacy global distribution system (GDS) channels, effective 05SEPT, reports Travel Weekly. The fares will only be available through United.com, the United app, and NDC-enabled channels.
The move aims to streamline sales of basic economy, which heavily relies on ancillary products for revenue. While this change is thought to impact a few large online travel agencies, traditional travel management companies will see minimal effects as basic economy bookings account for less than 0.1 per cent of their GDS sales.
The airline’s decision follows American Airlines strategy to reduce distribution costs and shift bookings to direct channels by pulling approximately 40 per cent of its content from legacy GDS, ending some commission contracts and sharply scaling back agency-facing sales staff.
As Open Jaw has reported, Air Canada has also recently made the move to NDC channels and away from legacy GDS.
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