Next time you search for a flight, stay the heck away from Orbitz and Expedia.
American Airlines is reporting that both sites have stopped listing American Airlines flights in their search results, since late December. AA recommends users search on Priceline or Kayak instead. The problem for you and me is that Orbitz and Expedia don’t have the decency to mention this to you on their website when they show you their search results, which is a serious violation of trust.
Orbitz and Expedia are behaving in a revenue optimizing manner, at the expense of you, the consumer. American Airlines wants to lower the commission rates that they are paying to Orbitz and Expedia. Instead of taking the revenue hit, and continuing to provide consumers with good data, Orbitz and Expedia have decided to instead, omit the information from search results.
American Airlines isn’t the only airline that is unlisted on some aggregator sites – Southwest also does not share information or commissions with any travel websites, so be sure to check out their website whenever you are looking for a flight from one of the cities they service.
How to score free flights on AA and Southwest
Looking for a way to earn some bonus miles on AA and Southwest? Consider signing up for an American Airlines 30,000 Bonus Mile MasterCard – you just have to spend $750 in the first four months in order to qualify for the 30,000 AAdvantage Miles.
The Southwest Airlines Credit Card isn’t too shabby either, you get a free flight after your first purchase.
| Version | Signup Bonus | Annual Fee First Year | Annual Fee Ongoing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  |
Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® Visa Signature® Card | 30000 AAdvantage Miles within the first 3 months of cardmembership |
$0 | $95 |
 |
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card - FREE FLIGHT | after your first purchase | $69 | $69 |