Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Northwest Airlines has lost it
08/06/2004 | TravelAgent

Posted on 08/26/2004 1:38:44 PM PDT by travelagent

First let me say, I am not big on asking for help. I hope you see that these boys at Northwest Airlines need some Freeping.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: airline; expense; travel
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-31 last
To: Blue Screen of Death

There are some travel agencies that have incredible packages that you could not put together for yourself for the same cost. It's always good to see what the alternatives are.


21 posted on 08/26/2004 1:55:33 PM PDT by Dog Gone
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: travelagent
The best thing about the free market place, If it saves them money the company will prosper. If its doesn't I bet they change back.

If you are computer savvy enough to freep, you should be computer savvy enough to buy your ticket on-line.

22 posted on 08/26/2004 1:57:05 PM PDT by f zero
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #23 Removed by Moderator

To: starboardlist

"If travel agents want to stick around, they have to add value to the consumer. "

Would that they did. I travel a lot. Back when it was a lot harder to book online, I used a travel agent to book all my flights, hotels, cars, etc.

Then I got online. The next time I booked a trip, I went to my usual travel agent and let her book it. Afterwards, just out of curiosity, I checked how much it would have cost to book it myself, online.

I would have saved 25% over her booking. Turned out she was not booking the lowest fares at all, but booking midrange fares to boost her income. She also was sending me to hotels that kicked more back to her.

No more travel agents. I book everything myself and save.


24 posted on 08/26/2004 2:01:05 PM PDT by MineralMan (godless atheist)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: travelagent
Northwest Airlines has lost it

.......and this is news????

25 posted on 08/26/2004 2:01:46 PM PDT by Southflanknorthpawsis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: travelagent
The bad thing is you as a consumer have lost you choice.

Wrong.

NW has not eliminated any payment option, they are all still available. And, of course, there are other carriers besides NW.

The consumer has plenty of choices.

You're not thinking very clearly.

26 posted on 08/26/2004 2:03:15 PM PDT by wideawake (God bless our brave soldiers and their Commander in Chief)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: starboardlist

I think my point has been missed. A good travel agent will always be around because they do add value. Heck most of the ones left standing have there own online booking products. My online product happens to be powered by the same one Orbitz is. This will not change my business model as many consumers feel the value is there.

I am not asking you to frrep to save my business. This kind of crap needs to stop. If they want to raise fares then they should do that not pretend this is something it isn't.

My point is that if this flies the genie is out of the bottle so to speak.


27 posted on 08/26/2004 2:04:58 PM PDT by travelagent
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: travelagent

Your ox has been gored!


28 posted on 08/26/2004 2:07:09 PM PDT by verity (The Liberal Media is America's Enemy)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: travelagent
Sabre sues Northwest over new booking fees

By Joshua Freed

AP Business Writer

MINNEAPOLIS - Northwest Airlines Corp. and a major ticket distributor have filed dueling lawsuits over Northwest's new fees for customers and travel agents who don't buy tickets on Northwest Web sites.

The new fees, from $5 to $10, prompted an outcry from travel agents when Northwest announced them Tuesday. They also prompted an immediate lawsuit from Sabre Holdings Corp. -- a large distribution system used by travel agents.

But another Sabre move may sting Northwest quicker: Sabre said it would make Northwest fares less prominent in its displays, while charging the airline more. Southlake, Texas-based Sabre and other distributors usually list the fares of competing airlines from lowest to highest so travel agents can spot price differences.

Sabre's move brought a lawsuit from Northwest on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. The airline claims Sabre's retaliation breaches their July 2003 contract, which Northwest claims specifically prohibits Sabre's action.

"The bias they have imposed against Northwest flights are denying the flying public a fair and complete choice of both schedules and fares," Al Lenza, vice president of distribution and e-commerce, said in a statement.

Sabre spokesman Michael Berman said he had no comment on Northwest's lawsuit. Sabre's lawsuit alleges that the fees violate Northwest's commitment to sell tickets through Sabre at the same price the airline offers on its own Web sites. Northwest has said the fees are not a fare increase.

Beginning Sept. 1, Northwest will bill travel agents who use global distribution systems such as Sabre $7.50 of the average $12.50 cost charged by the distributor for each roundtrip domestic ticket.

Beginning Friday, Northwest also will charge $5 for each domestic ticket bought through Northwest reservations offices and $10 to buy a domestic ticket at airports in the United States and Canada. Customers and travel agents can avoid the fees by using Northwest Web sites.

Berman said travel agents will see the Sabre listing changes soon.

He said the change means Northwest flights might show up farther down in a list of available flights seen by travel agents, even if a low fare otherwise would have given Northwest a higher spot.

Northwest's lawsuit didn't surprise Richard Copland, president of the American Society of Travel Agents. But he said the suit won't be resolved soon enough to change anything in the near term. Northwest "could be in and out of bankruptcy five times before that lawsuit ends," he said.

Copland said Northwest's new fees, if followed by other airlines, could put distributors like Sabre out of business.

Also Wednesday, a new company announced that it had signed letters of intent with seven airlines to form what appears to be a new global distribution system.

Chicago-based G2 SwitchWorks Corp. said it had letters of intent from seven carriers, including Alaska Air Group Inc., Continental Airlines Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., Northwest, United Airlines' parent UAL Corp., and US Airways Group Inc. The seventh carrier was not named.

G2 said in a statement that it planned to offer a lower-priced way for airlines to distribute tickets through travel agents.

29 posted on 08/26/2004 2:21:48 PM PDT by Osage Orange (Not all of us are sheep.............................................................................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: starboardlist

Let 'em crash, financialy that is. If they are that greedy, the best thing the traveling public can do is to take our business elsewhere. NWA doesn't have divine right to exist. Let it die.


30 posted on 08/26/2004 2:25:36 PM PDT by NCC-1701 (ISLAM IS A CULT, PURE AND SIMPLE!!!!! IT MUST BE ERADICATED FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: travelagent

My bank gives us a some free teller transactions a month (I think 4, maybe 6), everything after that gets a surcharge, anything purely electronic that doesn't require dealing with a person is free. You have to pay people salaries, that means from a business aspect anything that uses people costs more than anything that doesn't, eventually businesses get sick of eating those costs and pass them on to the consumer.


31 posted on 08/26/2004 2:32:07 PM PDT by discostu (That which does not make me stronger kills me)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-31 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson