BUSINESS NEWS


Inset: ITM’s Scott Davies said members warned of a “deluge of complaints from travellers about the inability to book NDC fares”


US body wants inquiry into airline’s tech move


The US showdown over NDC technology could get ugly. Ian Taylor reports It accused American of “a clear


The US travel advisors’ association Asta has called for an anti-trust investigation into American Airlines’ withdrawal of more than 40% of its fares from traditional GDSs as it switches to new distribution capability (NDC) technology. Asta, the US equivalent of Abta,


has appealed to the antitrust and consumer protection divisions of the US Department of Justice (DoJ), arguing American Airlines is “denying access to fare inventory” in pursuit of an “anticompetitive business position”.


48 13 APRIL 2023


abuse of market power” after the carrier stuck to its plan to withhold fares from GDSs from April 3, leaving full content available only via NDC channels. Asta insists these are not ready (Travel Weekly, March 16). The association, which called on US


transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg to intervene, acknowledged NDC “holds much promise” but told the DoJ the “forced adoption of NDC raises serious anti-competitive concerns”. Asta warned travellers face “substantially higher air ticket


prices” and urged the DoJ to take “appropriate action”. It argued: “Comparison


shopping for airfares will be highly compromised; consumers won’t be able to exchange a ticket issued via legacy channels for one issued through NDC channels and vice versa”; and consumers won’t be able to use flight credits “for cancelled, unused or partially used tickets for new tickets through NDC connections”.


Continued on page 46 travelweekly.co.uk


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