Distribution teams love the promise of direct connect-full control, richer content, faster iteration. Aggregators counter with reach, resiliency, and existing settlement plumbing. Instead of debating in abstract, measure the trade-offs with latency and control as the main lenses.
Latency profiles in the real world
Instrument every leg of the request. A typical pattern we see:
- Direct connect: Seller → airline offer service → inventory host → pricer → response. Fewer hops, but each dependency is now the airline’s problem.
- Aggregator: Seller → aggregator cache → airline host via legacy protocol → aggregator normalization → response. More hops, but aggregators absorb spikes with their caches.
Plot P50, P95, and error-rate metrics for both paths. Only then can you decide where to invest in optimization.
Control dimensions
Control is not binary. Break it into concrete dimensions:
- Product breadth: Can you sell every bundle, seat, and policy you design? Direct connect usually yes; aggregators often lag.
- Content freshness: Who updates media, fare brand descriptions, and ancillaries? Direct connect gives you immediate updates; aggregators may require synchronized batches.
- Servicing coverage: Do changes, refunds, and disruptions flow with the same richness? Direct connect allows bespoke flows; aggregators standardize to the lowest common denominator.
Designing a hybrid strategy
Most airlines end up hybrid. Use direct connect where differentiation matters (premium cabins, subscription bundles) and aggregators where reach is king (OTAs that will not integrate bespoke APIs). Build a routing layer that decides, per market and channel, which path to use.
- Search volume per origin/destination pair.
- Error codes from upstream dependencies.
- Share of ancillaries sold vs offered.
- Latency budgets for mobile vs desktop experiences.
Operational governance
If you operate both paths, create a single source of truth for offers. Tag each offer with origin path, data freshness, and servicing limitations. Provide dashboards so commercial teams see the impact of a slow direct connect deployment or an aggregator outage.
When you measure latency honestly and articulate control dimensions, the debate stops being philosophical. You can justify investments, pick the right partners, and build a roadmap that gradually moves volume where it delivers the most value.