Priceline Group Inc (NASDAQ:PCLN) has killed off its name-your-own-airfare option due to a lack of interest in it.
The Priceline feature was officially removed on Sept. 1. The company said that the reason for the removal was customers just weren’t using it. Brigit Zimmerman, PCLN’s senior vice president of air and vacation packages, said it’s “a heck of a lot easier,” without the feature.
Priceline also couldn’t get much use out of the name-your-own-airfare option because of the lack of airlines. When it launched in the 1990s, there were several different airlines competing for passengers. However, the switch to four major airlines has resulted in less customers using the feature.
While the name-your-own-airfare option is no longer available, Priceline still gives customers control over prices for other parts of their trips. The name-your-own-price feature is still present for car rentals and hotel rooms. However, these have also been seeing less use lately, reports The Wall Street Journal.
One Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) user discovered the feature was missing on Sept. 1 when trying to book a flight. @AnthonyQuintano contacted customers support about the missing feature and was told by a customer service representative that the feature had been removed. The company will still honor previous bookings made through the feature.
“Name Your Own Price for flights will no longer be offered,” a Priceline spokesperson told Skift. “Express Deals for flights, available across all platforms, provides savings up to 50 percent off published rates and reveals the exact itinerary and airline carrier immediately after purchase.”
PCLN shares were up slightly as of Noon Thursday.
