JetBlue has put an end to ticket sales through 12 small
OTAs.
The move will reduce distribution costs, the airline said.
Customers who book on Jetblue.com, the carrier added, also have access to more
ancillary products and fare sales than those who book through an indirect
channel and can more easily make changes to reservations.
"This is the first phase of our strategy, and while
these 12 agencies represent a small percentage of our sales, we will be
tracking our ability to recapture this revenue through direct sales,"
JetBlue spokesman Morgan Johnston said in an email.
The agencies from which JetBlue has pulled fare information
are SmartFares,.com, MyFlightSearch.com, VacationExpress.com, FlyFar.ca,
FlightNetwork.com, Vayama.com, WhatsCheaper.com, Vegas.com,
JetsetVacations.com, CheapFlightsFares.com, QuickTravels.com and Kiwi.com.
JetBlue ticket sales will continue on major OTAs, such as
the Expedia and Priceline networks.
"We do not plan to pull out of valuable partnerships
but depending on the results of this effort, you may see us end additional
relationships," Johnston said. "We also support competition in the
industry and consumers' ability to view industry fares easily. Our meta
partners like Kayak, Google Flights and Hipmunk are also great tools that offer
customers the ability to comparison shop while booking direct through the
airline."
Airline industry analyst Bob Mann said that JetBlue appears
to be moving to get rid of intermediaries that generally sell to
price-conscious consumers. Airlines pay an average of fee of $4.50 per leg to
the GDS companies (Sabre, Amadeus and Travelport) for bookings through indirect
channels, including OTAs.
Airlines, he said, have more to lose from terminating
relationships with indirect channels that deal with both premium and budget travelers.
"You would do this tomorrow with Sabre if you thought
you could keep all their premium business and ignore the low-quality stuff,"
Mann said.
He noted that other airlines, including Delta, have
previously pulled fare information from selected OTAs.
Southwest, meanwhile, has always eschewed OTAs.
JetBlue said that users of its website have an easier time
picking seats than users of indirect channels and that JetBlue.com users can
purchase higher-end Even More Space tickets.
To date, the GDSs haven't fully adapted to displaying
ancillary fare products. Throughout the airline industry, most ancillary sales through
indirect channels are for seat selections.