Travel Customer Acquisition Is Moving Into Private Treaties

I noticed a curious thing in the spate of travel industry partnerships announced this summer. Earlier this month, Expedia became Allegiant’s first authorized OTA partner under a 12-month exclusive deal. The same day, JAL and Marriott Bonvoy launched a status match that hands JAL points to every Bonvoy member who links an account. A day later, Aeroplan and World of Hyatt connected points, status, and credit card earning. 

I went down the rabbit hole and found out that the pattern ran wider than one news cycle: oneworld signed a deal with Taj in June, the first-ever loyalty deal between an airline alliance and a hotel group. Air India embedded Booking.com inside its own app the same month. Airbnb spent the spring sending its customers outward, to Delta and to WelcomePickups.

Underneath the announcements is one shift: travel customer acquisition moving out of a public auction and into private treaties. For two decades, a travel company could reach a prospect