Benefits of Preserving Consumers’ Ability to Compare Airline Fares via OTAs and Metasearch Sites

The U.S. airline industry enplaned 766 million passengers last year and flew nearly 900
billion miles.3 For domestic itineraries, travelers paid—before significant and growing
ancillary fees4—an average fare of $391.5 Approximately 44 percent of travelers
booking through online sources typically shop an online travel agency (“OTA”) website
(for example, Orbitz, Priceline, CheapOair, or Expedia) or a metasearch travel site (for
example, Kayak, TripAdvisor, Hipmunk, Skyscanner, or Fly.com) to compare the prices
and schedules offered by competing airlines before purchasing from an OTA or an
airline website.6 The use of these sites allows consumers to quickly and easily find the
lowest prices offered by competing airlines on a desired route, to find the most
convenient schedules offered, and to choose the best available option for their travel
needs. Not only do OTAs and metasearch sites offer price comparison across many
different airlines, but they frequently permit travelers to compare prices and inventory on
other sites.