AMERICAN AIRLINES AND AMERICAN EXPRESS Global Business Travel have agreed "in principle" to look at cooperating on direct distribution.
In a joint statement the airline and travel management company (TMC) said they are looking to "explore a long-term arrangement for the benefit of their corporate clients".
The statement continued: "Under this arrangement, American Express Global Business Travel would receive guaranteed direct long-term access to AA's fares, schedules, and customised travel products and services via AA's direct connect link through aggregation technology for such content provided by one or GDSs [global distribution systems]." The announcement follows a similar move by HRG.
AA is currently entrenched in a bitter dispute with a number of GDSs about how it sells tickets.
The airline wants bookers to buy tickets through its Direct Connect product, which bypasses the traditional GDSs.