Skift Take
This week in aviation, when it comes to online travel agencies, some carriers figure they'll join 'em, not beat 'em. We'll see if the airlines get the direct bookings they seek.
Airline News Weekly Roundup
Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines aviation.
For all of our weekend roundups, go here.
>>If they can’t beat the online travel companies, airlines might as well try to copy those companies’ slickest moves. A couple of carriers are testing the display of flights on rival airlines in an attempt to prevent consumers from clicking away to shop elsewhere: Airlines Test Adding Metasearch to Their Websites
>>Ryanair is the great white shark of the airline world. It knows which airlines are bleeding cash and it is in the mood to feast: Why Ryanair Is Hungry for Acquisitions
>>On the surface, more inexpensive award tickets may sound like a good sign for air travelers. But with the supply of award miles shrinking and cheap seats only available on select routes, the news is just a silver lining on a much bigger, darker cloud: Cheap Award Tickets Are Getting Easier to Find
>>Flyers are sometimes owed money from airlines following disruptions and delays, usually small amounts. New advances make it easier to submit claims, but it can still take a long time for flyers to get the money they deserve. Smarter predictive technology will eventually make delays and disruptions less of a hassle, or at least lead to insurance products that are actually useful: Reimbursement for Flight Disruptions Slowly Gets Smarter
>>Sun Country wants it both ways. It wants to add fees and reduce legroom for some passengers. But it also wants to keep the brand equity it earned when it was a full-service airline. Can this strategy work? America’s Smallest Discount Airline Wants to Emulate EasyJet With Cabin Retrofit Project
>>We’d love to see major airlines be more proactive when they owe compensation to customers required by European law. When they make a mistake, they should fess up: Why It Takes So Long for Some Airlines to Pay Compensation Required by European Law
>>The State Department just closed the books on the last long-running airline-related diplomatic saga in Washington — Open Skies agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Now, apparently, the government is turning its attention to a feud with Russia about so-called overflight rights: U.S. Issues New Requirements for Russian Planes in Airspace Spat
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Tags: travel trends
Photo credit: Icelandair is testing adding metasearch to its website. Eric Salard / Flickr