Priceline has announced a fresh long-term deal with United Airlines, with "plans to implement the United Technology Application, powered and supported by Farelogix, as the primary connectivity between the two parties."
Priceline is plugging in to the United-Farelogix platform to access the airline's schedules, fares, and ancillary products.
A couple of months ago, the United-Farelogix platform first began booking tickets travel agencies and corporations.
United plans to still provide its content to third parties through the GDSs, but "direct-connect" partners like Priceline will receive robust information.
It's a big day for Tom O’Toole, vice president of marketing and loyalty at United.
Many industry insiders will wonder what percentage of indirect volume the airline wants to go through its Farelogix connect XML API. Since 2005 United has worked with some Farelogix products.
For more context, see how Farelogix aims to simplify airline distribution through a new commerce platform, and Brett Snyder's recent post: "Farelogix Shows How Booking a Flight Should Work, and It’s Excellent."