American Airlines Feels Vindicated in Its Second Try at Direct Distribution
Skift Take
American Airlines has moved away from its earlier belligerence to navigate a cooperative path with distribution middlemen. The airline appears to be making a lot more gains this time around.
In July, Cory Garner, American Airlines vice president of sales and distribution strategy, said he would take a retirement buyout. But in a surprise turnabout on Monday, Garner said that he had had a change of heart. He will stay on, continuing to lead his unit's 140 employees.
The news is a fine excuse to pause to consider what American has done since 2010 in pursuing next-generation retailing. The company has led the airline industry's quest to provide content to desktop reservation systems that enables travel agents to more easily explain to customers how the carrier's products differ from those of rivals based on quality rather than price.
Garner has played an outsized role as the point person for American's effort to adopt new technologies and fresh compensation models in its dealings with agencies and travel management companies.
To be sure, Garner and American were not the only players in the long-running and on-going drama. Several industry names from the past, such a
