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HRG considers going direct with American Airlines
Hogg Robinson has reached an agreement with American Airlines to investigate the possibility of accessing fares through the airlines’ Direct Connect system.
A statement from the companies said that access would either be direct or via a Global Distribution System.
A spokesman for HRG said: “Our clients have asked us to be open minded and that is what we are doing. We don’t know how it will work because we’ve only reached an agreement to investigate. We are not saying we will definitely do it and not saying we won’t. But if there is a new model or way of working, we can’t be left on the sidelines.”
American Airlines is currently in litigation with both the Travelport and Sabre GDSs.
The dispute between the companies centres on the cost of appearing on the GDSs and American’s desire to drive bookings through its own online Direct Connect channel.
Despite the litigation, all parties are continuing to negotiate. American recently agreed to an extension of its full content agreement with Travelport, while Sabre’s full-content agreement with American is due to expire on August 31.
If an agreement is not reached, it is thought American will seek an injunction against Sabre at the end of August.
Kevin Mitchell, founder of The Business Travel Coalition, said: “Many industry observers expect American to seek ways to increase its negotiating leverage as the 31 August contract deadline between it and Sabre draws closer.
“So it’s a safe bet that this announcement concerning American and HRG is related to the row between American and the GDSs. Very few facts about the American-HRG collaboration have been made public so it is difficult to know how significant it is or what the implications might be for the industry.”
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by Jeremy Skidmore
Jeremy Skidmore
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