AIRLINES seem to be realising that dealing with many different
external travel websites isn't always worth the hassle.
Southwest Airlines, for example, only makes its fares available
on its website. Delta Airlines last month told three
sites—CheapOair, OneTravel and BookIt—that their services were
no longer required. And American Airlines stopped using Orbitz
on December 21st because of a contract dispute. Now American is
also embroiled in a dispute with Expedia, which has suspended
the sale of the airline's flights on its site (although they
remain listed on Expedia's corporate travel site, Egencia).  The
reason behind Expedia's decision is American's introduction of a
ticket-selling system that requires agencies to link to its new
"Direct Connect" platform, rather than use traditional
distributors such as Amadeus and Sabre. American says Direct
Connect will "help travel agencies help their own customers by
giving them access to customized choices." But Expedia responds
that American's new commercial strateg