New M.O.’s Michael Qualantone has a letter published in The Beat today, responding to a recent panel discussion where airline executives floated the idea of shifting the rising cost of look-to-book ratios onto intermediaries.
In the letter, Michael pushes back on the premise. He points out that the airlines driving this conversation, primarily United and American, are also the ones who engineered the current NDC environment in the first place. He contrasts their approach with Delta’s more measured path, and asks why the channels delivering the majority of premium revenue and long-haul premium bookings are being squeezed while newer players get more favorable treatment. That share is well-documented in IATA’s own DDS data.
It’s a direct take on who created the look-to-book problem, who is profiting from the underlying strategy, and who is being asked to absorb the cost.
Read the full letter at the Beat (no subscription required).
