Privacy policies of air travel web sites: a survey and analysis

Numerous airlines and online intermediaries are using their web sites to sell airline tickets to passengers. From consumer's perspective as well as from regulator's perspective, privacy policies adopted by the online vendors are receiving critical attention. A survey of privacy policies of US air travel web sites indicates that significant differences exist among majors, nationals and intermediaries. Further, air travel industry seems to lag behind other industries in implementing fair information practices. Overall, results suggest that the air travel industry has a long way to go in addressing privacy concerns shared by consumers as well as regulators.