Nevada AG complains about new airline ticket system

Friday, Jan. 5, 2001 | 11:02 a.m.

Nevada Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa is joining with attorneys general in 20 other states to complain about a plan by five major airlines to start a single-site Internet system to sell their tickets.

In a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, they said this could pose antitrust problems.

Del Papa first raised the issue several weeks ago, saying this plan would hurt Southwest Airlines, which is the largest airline in Las Vegas and a big carrier in Reno.

Southwest and TWA are not among those joining in the network, which will be owned by United, American, Delta, Northwest and Continental.

"We are concerned that by some 90 percent of the airline industry having ownership of Orbitz (the joint venture), there may be a severe negative impact to competition between the airlines on ticket pricing," Del Papa said today.

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