An online travel agency owned by nine big European airlines launched in the UK today, as rival travel firms warned that they would be on the lookout for any preferential deals being handed to the newcomer by its parent companies.
Opodo - which has already launched in Germany - is a joint venture by the airlines, with British Airways, Air France and Lufthansa owing 22.8% each, KLM, Iberia and Alitalia owning 9.1% each, and Aer Lingus, Austrian Airlines and Finnair sharing the remaining stake.
At its launch, the company unveiled research from pollsters NOP indicating that fares on Opodo are cheaper than the average online air fare for 85% of top destinations from the UK. "Travellers in the UK are looking for great fares and this NOP research confirms that Opodo will be offering some of the best deals in the UK market," said the firm's chief executive, Giovanni Bisignani.
Mr Bisignani dismissed concerns about launching a travel site in the current climate, when many travellers have been frightened to fly after the September 11 attacks. He said the online travel industry in the UK is set to explode, and that current players - which include ebookers, Expedia and Lastminute - are not offering what customers want: an easy to use web site offering big brands at low prices.
Rival travel firms have expressed concern that Opodo could be handed special fares by the airlines backing the venture, and they warned complaints would be forwarded to European regulators if they suspect unfair competition.
The chief executive of ebookers, Dinesh Dhamiga, told the Reuters news agency: "If we see certain fares on Opodo that we don't have, we will flag that right away. If they come out with a £100 fare to New York, for instance."
But a quick shop around after today's launch showed that Opodo's fares were not necessarily the cheapest available. Offers on Opodo this morning included flights to New York for £175 for travel in January and February and flights to Singapore for just over £483 for travel before March 24.
Expedia was also offering flights to New York for £176, and Lastminute's cheapest fare to New York was £166 until March 13. Ebookers was offering flights to Singapore for £359 to March 21.
