Travel

No turning back the tide

Jun 4th 2015, 16:30 by B.R.

WHEN it comes to internet booking, many airlines do not see their interests as being aligned with those of travel agents. Airlines would much rather customers book flights directly through their own websites. For a start, it saves them paying a commission to an agent. It might also mean that flyers have not bothered to compare prices against their competitors, so there is less need to offer a bargain. Just as importantly, it makes it easier for carriers directly to sell add-ons, such as better seats or priority boarding, which are becoming increasingly important to their bottom lines. Still, most airlines begrudgingly accept the role of meta-search engines and online travel-agents. After all, if a lot of potential customers use them, it makes sense to put their best fares in front of as many people as possible.