Why Airlines Are Finally Seeing Lower Distribution Costs: New Skift Research
Photo Credit: Relationships between the Airlines and Global Distribution Systems are constantly evolving. Unsplash / Dan Lohmar
Skift Take
The battle over airline distribution costs has been fought from boardrooms to courtrooms to the press. Though each airline is in a unique position, we examine the industry-wide data to take a cold look at the facts as best as possible.
Airline distribution is a complex web of intermediaries, each evolved to best fit its niche of customers. This broad distribution network includes online travel agencies, metasearch sites, traditional offline travel agencies, and travel management companies.
Our latest Skift Research report examines the complex, and at times intimidating, world of airline distribution. This network is an essential part of how airlines transport their passengers across the globe.
In this report, we review the long, and at times contentious, relationship that the GDS have had with the airlines they serve.
We also define four key questions through which we can better understand the future of airline distribution: 1) Does the world still need the global distribution systems? 2) What is the new distribution capability and how will it impact air travel? 3) Can airlines really de-commoditize bookings? and 4) Does Silicon Valley have a role to play in airline distribution?
Last week, we launched th
