Airline Data Powerhouse Needs to Evolve as Fast as Airfares Have

Everybody in the airline industry knows that the Airline Tariff Publishing Company, or ATPCO, is important. But, let's face it, not many people know precisely what it does. At least, not many know outside of the airlines which own it and the 437 employees who work for it -- most of whom are at its headquarters at Washington Dulles International Airport. The organization is an industry clearinghouse for airfare data. And many of the insiders who understand it well think that it needs to evolve more quickly than it has for what seems like eons. Brett Snyder of the airline industry blog Cranky Flier and a former pricing analyst for America West, said: “It sounds like a place that is searching for a way to remain relevant in a world where fare distribution won’t be as tightly controlled as in the past." Founded in the late 1960s, ATPCO focuses on serving as a database for airfares, including all the rules surrounding them. The rise of the Internet led to a proliferation of fares. Today, ATPCO distributes up to 3.9 million fare changes a day, on average. It has 111 airline customers in Asia-Pacific, 119 in the Americas, and 206 in Europe. It takes their