While some carriers make bypassing intermediaries – or “cutting out the aggregator” – sound appealing, new analysis shows those promises can prove illusory. What appears convincing on the horizon often fades under closer scrutiny, leaving corporate buyers with unexpected costs, fragmented servicing, and solutions that fail to scale.
Direct Flights Have a Blind Spot
Direct connects often promise more than they deliver. Instead of clarity, they create blind spots. Instead of guaranteed savings, they can result in higher fares. And instead of smoother travel, they risk introducing inconsistencies that compromise the duty of care and frustrate employees on the road.
“Direct connections absolutely have a role to play – they are part of the industry’s evolution as airlines pursue new retailing models,” said Roshan Mendis, Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President, Sabre. “But, for corporate buyers, they are not the silver bullet they are often positioned as. Travel management companies connected to large-scale platforms provide what corporations truly need to deliver the best results for their clients”
Is it cheaper to fly direct?
Direct connections are rarely promoted as the cheapest option, as some carriers suggest their lowest fares are only available direct.
In practice, airline websites and APIs are designed to maximise yield for the airline – not minimise cost for buyers. Marketplaces uncover hidden value by combining NDC and EDIFACT content and constructing itineraries that include split tickets or mixed-carrier options.
A Sabre analysis of US airfares during June 2025 found equal or lower fares in over 90% of searches, with 41% of cases cheaper than booking direct.
Direct Flights mean more content for Booking Engines?
Some airlines suggest that their direct NDC APIs provide richer content. In reality, those ‘direct connects’ use the very same NDC APIs that airlines already provide to Sabre – they are not a fundamentally different technology. However, because an airline’s API only connects to that single carrier, TMCs would need to manage dozens of separate connections, each with unique technical and commercial requirements, to see the whole picture.
Sabre’s global survey revealed that 91% of agencies juggle four or more booking systems, with three-quarters reporting an increase in this number over the past three years – a clear sign of growing content fragmentation.
This fragmentation means travellers may not see all available fares, managers lose visibility across suppliers, and programmes miss opportunities to optimise spend.
Are Direct Flights a smoother experience? Not for corporate travelers
Direct connects are often promoted as the “modern” way to access airline content, with ancillaries, bundles, and richer visuals that older systems cannot always display. The reality is far more complicated than this tidy narrative.
Each airline builds its direct connect differently – creating inconsistent booking and servicing experiences. For leisure travellers, that might be an irritation; for corporates, it is a liability.
Business trips involve multiple suppliers, last-minute changes, and duty-of-care requirements. If each connection behaves differently, travellers risk poor servicing, managers lose visibility, and programmes face compliance gaps.
Are Direct Flights built for the future? Not at scale
Airlines often promote direct connections as “future-ready”. The reality is that business travel operates at a massive scale – with millions of searches, bundles, and last-minute changes that must be processed instantly, securely, and consistently.
One-off airline connections cannot deliver that scale and, in some cases, airlines even throttle results when “look-to-book” ratios are too high, meaning travellers may not see every available fare.
With Artificial Intelligence multiplying searches, the risk grows. Platforms built for scale, like Sabre’s cloud-native marketplace, protect against these gaps – ensuring corporates see the whole picture, gain consistent access to new airline features, and are not tied to a single carrier’s version of the future.
In fact, the SabreMosaic Travel Marketplace itself is a broad collection of direct connects, enhanced by industry-leading shopping, caching, and AI-infused algorithmic intelligence that ensures buyers see the most relevant and competitive options.
Together, these four misconceptions tell a consistent story: direct airline connections may look attractive on the surface, but the evidence shows they can create complexity, raise costs, and reduce corporate control. Marketplaces provide the visibility, comparability, and scalability that managed travel truly requires.
Ultimately, this debate is about effectiveness and consistency over complexity – building programmes that save money, keep travellers satisfied, and protect people on the move. The data is precise. So is the path forward.
