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See Full StorySucceeding in any competitive business requires a killer instinct. And it's especially
true in an industry as competitive, fast-growing and increasingly crowded as online
travel.
No one can be bullied and hope to be around in the long run. So Southwest Airlines is
right to stand up for what it sees as its own interests in its ongoing feud with Orbitz,
the new bully on the block. But while these big boys duke it out, the customers are being
trampled underfoot.
Re: Customers Lose in Online Travel War
Posted by: celticsfan 2001-07-12 18:03:11 In reply to: ECT News
Although it seems as though Southwest is making a mistake by getting out of the Orbitz site and withholding data from other travel sites and travel agents, it could be that Southwest is starting a new trend.
Because every airline is online now, is it really necessary for a central database shared by travel agents like in the old days?
Re: Customers Lose in Online Travel War
Posted by: jg258 2001-07-13 16:03:35 In reply to: celticsfan
I would guess Southwest is not going to gain additional customers by pulling out of popular travel sites. As a recent newbie (and, now, customer) to Orbitz, I find the convenience, ease, and price offerings of the site to far exceed anything else I can find. Southwest may lose customers, like myself, who don't fly often and may forget they exist without the additional exposure.
