The longstanding triopoly in airline distribution among Sabre, Amadeus, and Travelport has seemed ripe for disruption for some time. But despite tense relations with airlines, which have largely been unsuccessful in their attempts to bypass these three, the distribution giants just carried on. So it was with much interest that on a long quiet holiday break here in the U.S., news arrived from Europe that regulators there launched a probe into Sabre and Amadeus for anti-competitive practices. Who knows where this will lead? But more than a few airline executives are watching closely. Travel Tech Editor Sean O'Neill offers some theories below on the implications of the EU probe.
