I'm an American Airlines frequent flyer member and I just received an email from AA.com that they are no longer working with Kayak.com. Kayak.com is a travel meta-search engine that operates outside of China and it helps users find the lowest fares from a variety of different travel-related websites. The email says:

As a valued customer who has booked an American Airlines ticket through Kayak.com or Sidestep.com over the past year, we would like to inform you that American Airlines fares are no longer being displayed on these sites. You may still find our content through many other meta-search engines for purchase through our award-winning web site, AA.com. Tickets already purchased remain valid for customers traveling on American.

So AA.com will still put their tickets on other meta-search engines, meaning the fallout perhaps was a result of bickering over commissions between AA.com and Kayak.com.

China has a number of different travel meta-search engines, and we have profiled some of them on our B2B travel website at ChinaHospitalityNews.com. In China, airfares are a bit harder to "get the best deal on" because of pricing controls on certain routes, agents are all usually given the same discounts, and if you are a FFP member you can get even better deals than advertised to the public — I have an Air China MasterCard (via CITIC Bank), so a roundtrip flight from China to the US a few weeks ago was about CNY1000 cheaper than buying via either Air China's own website, an agent, Ctrip.com eLong.com, or anywhere else. One of my in-laws in China also runs a travel agency, so I can get better deals with my Air China credit card than using the best wholesale ticket price she receives. Priceless.

I use Kayak.com all the time when I'm traveling in the USA, specifically for flights on American Airlines and Virgin America (which, btw, is the best airline I've ever flown in coach). Now I'll need to find a new meta-search engine for my AA bookings — or just go straight to AA.com, which is supposed to have the lowest fare anyway.

Update: I should spend more time on the blogosphere. Thanks to JR for sending me this link for more info on why AA and Kayak are no more.