Airline woes create changes in role of consolidators. (In the News).

Travel Agent, August, 2002 by Lisella, Maria; Schiller, Kristan; Shannon, Darren

WASHINGTON--The significant drop in airline capacity, fare discounting and a zealous control of airline inventory have greatly altered the face of the airline consolidator industry, but the changes could be a boon for travel agents and the remaining consolidators.

Problems in the consolidator network came to the fore following Sept. 11, and the situation has worsened as airlines turned more to their own Web sites or the new distressed inventory channels such as Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz. Domestic and international carriers serving the U.S. have slashed the number of seats offered to consolidators as well as the number of consolidators they deal with. Northwest and Continental, for example, confirmed that they use a "significantly reduced" number of...