12306的经验很难复制到民航市场

Core Viewpoint - Several major airlines in China, including Eastern Airlines, Air China, Southern Airlines, and Hainan Airlines, have announced a direct sales partnership with the travel platform "航旅纵横" (Travel Union), which will serve as an additional direct sales channel beyond their official websites and apps. This platform integrates direct ticket sales resources from 37 domestic airlines and emphasizes six commitments: price transparency, no bundled sales, alignment with airline refund and change policies, no data discrimination, protection of user purchase information, and authenticity of reimbursement documents [1]. Group 1 - The new platform is referred to as the "civil aviation version of 12306," indicating an intention to regulate the "involutionary" competition in the civil aviation industry and standardize pricing [1]. - Consumers expect the app to provide cheap and transparent options without much effort, but this ideal state presents a paradox where cheapness and transparency are difficult to achieve simultaneously in a market economy [1][2]. - In a market economy, pricing power lies with market participants, who offer discounts based on their operational status and customer demand, leading to price variations that are not easily communicated to all consumers due to the costs associated with information dissemination [1][2]. Group 2 - The article compares the pricing transparency in a planned economy, where prices are fixed and information spreads slowly, to the competitive nature of the civil aviation industry, where airlines compete on price across various channels [2]. - The dominance of online travel agencies (OTAs) in the market is highlighted, as they provide a one-stop comparison advantage and have the ability to attract consumers through content and bundled services, which allows them to offer more competitive pricing than airlines [3]. - For the "civil aviation official direct sales platform" to capture a significant market share, it must enhance its channel characteristics rather than merely emulating the model of 12306, which does not align with market dynamics [3].