Tauck Eliminates American Airlines from Air Booking Program

In an email sent earlier this month, Tauck alerted travel advisors to a major change to its in-house air booking program. Starting immediately, the luxury tour operator will no longer book flights on American Airlines or any member of the Oneworld Alliance.

The change, Tauck’s vice president of global sales and reservations Steven R. Spivak wrote, is due to a “series of policy and systems changes” that are unfriendly to tour and cruise companies.

“Most recently, and with zero advance noticed, American Airlines and other Oneworld Alliance members implemented a new policy that now makes it all but impossible for Tauck to offer refundable airfares,” he wrote.

Other Oneworld Alliance-member airlines include British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, and Qantas.

“The net result of this change is that we can no longer offer the high levels of service, convenience, and flexibility that you and your clients have come to expect when purchasing flights through Tauck aboard American Airlines or other airlines in the Oneworld Alliance.”

For advisors and their clients with already-booked flights on American Airlines (or another Oneworld Alliance airline) through Tauck for an upcoming Tauck journey, nothing has changed. The flights remain in good standing and Tauck will honor all provisions and conditions that were in place when the flights were booked.

“Going forward, we will continue to offer flights through our network of valued airline partners who share our commitment to servicing our guests and travel advisors,” Spivak wrote.

Over the past year or so American Airlines has continued to implement policies that are anti-trade, including only awarding loyalty points to bookings made directly or through agencies that meet a minimum NDC threshold.