TripAdvisor lobbying up in fight with airlines

TripAdvisor registered its first outside lobbyist this week as it pushes for lawmakers to take notice of alleged practices by some airlines to withhold booking information from travel websites. 

The online booking company hired Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld to lobby on “issues related to airlines’ withholding of fare and schedule information from travel websites.”

{mosads}Seven members of the firm were included on the lobbying disclosure. 

The online company and industry trade groups have argued that some airlines are restricting price and flight data information from outside websites in order to divert bookings to their own websites, potentially driving up the price. 

Pressure is being put on Southwest Airlines and Lufthansa in particular. Reports in May raised concerns about a number of other airlines, including Delta, American Airlines and United. 

An industry trade group that represents TripAdvisor and other online booking companies estimated that those type of restrictions could increase prices by billions of dollars per year for consumers and even keep some passengers from flying at all. 

The company already has a few lawmakers on its side. 

In July, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) — likely to be the next Democratic leader in the Senate — asked the Justice Department and the Department of Transportation to investigate the airline practices.

The Justice Department is already investigating airlines about “capacity coordination,” and Schumer called on the agency to expand the scope of the probe. 

The senator’s July press release about the issue included quotes from TripAdvisor as well as the Travel Technology Association, which has lobbied on the issue as well. 

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) also raised concerns about the issue during an unrelated Commerce Committee hearing earlier this month in which a TripAdvisor vice president testified. The company is based in his state. 

During questioning, Markey hinted that it would be a good idea for airlines to also make baggage and advanced seat selection fees available to online booking sites. 

“It’s come to my attention that some airlines may be restricting access to their schedules and prices, making it difficult for online travel sites like TripAdvisor to post different flight options online,” Markey said last week. “If a consumer cannot view all of the flight options and prices on one website, the consumer may be unable to identify the best travel prices.”