AA dumps Kayak…err, Kayak dumps AA August 4, 2008
Posted by Richard Young in Nine yards....Tags: American Airlines, Kayak
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Does flying give you heartburn these days? Better stock up on those Tums because the acid reflux is hot and heavy before you even enter the security lines.
Just got this email from American Airlines (see screen shot). 
Would be nice to have provided us with a few more details as to why AA is ending its relationship with Kayak. Were margins really eroding that much? If so, good for Kayak. Instead we get:
As a valued customer who has booked an American Airlines ticket through Kayak.com or Sidestep.com over the past year, we would like to inform you that American Airlines fares are no longer being displayed on these sites.
Huh? At least provide a link to an FAQ on AA.com.
I knew AA had a fledgling blog, AAConversation, a few months back but now I couldn’t find it. Looks like it was pulled down. Won’t find answers there, I either..
UPDATE (Thank you Kellie from Kayak): Kayak is clearing the air on its blog. Getting into a he said, she said, who dumped whom and why. I still dont know what AA is thinking with this move. I will still go to Kayak to search for my flights because it’s simply the easiest, most user friendly site out there (Farecast a close second). As a frequent AA flier, it’s not making me all warm and fuzzy about the company with moves like this. Or did they lose me when they started nickel and diming me on everything?
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I think i can clear the air a little. We are really disappointed over the AA situation as well. You can read the whole saga and all our statements on the Kayak Blog but here is the latest from today:http://blog.kayak.com/2008/08/05/latest-kayak-statement-on-american-airlines/
Kayak.com is disappointed that American Airlines has chosen to misrepresent to loyal users that they terminated their relationship with Kayak.com. The truth is that Kayak.com terminated the relationship because we refused to concede to AA’s demand to not display AA fares available through online travel agencies alongside those from AA.com. Kayak.com became aware of AA’s misstatement after our user feedback system started receiving supportive emails from consumers disappointed with AA’s actions, a number of whom forwarded us the inaccurate email AA sent out last night. We hope that AA will not only agree to again allow consumers to compare AA fares on Kayak.com and SideStep.com, but will refrain from making false statements.
While we are still disappointed by AA’s actions, we remain committed to providing consumers with a comprehensive set of search results and choice of where to purchase. Kayak.com and SideStep.com are continuing to show schedules only (not prices) for American Airlines flights. Consumers are still able to compare AA itineraries along with those from hundreds of leading airlines, and if they wish to find the price or purchase an AA ticket, they can still do so by clicking on the “Info” link and we’ll send them into the Orbitz booking path. We hope American changes its mind and again allows consumers to compare AA fares on Kayak.com and SideStep.com.
But you WILL find answers over at Kayak.com’s blog. We just posted an official statement today in response to American’s email. Check it out at:
http://blog.kayak.com/2008/08/05/latest-kayak-statement-on-american-airlines/
@lsanders – got it. just made the update. thanks! I really hope AA realizes the pettiness of their decision. I want to search fast and book even faster. AA is now making it very difficult for one of its loyal customers..