Airlines finished with Priceline

MINNEAPOLIS -- Northwest Airlines has stopped selling discounted tickets on Priceline.com, the name-your-own-price Internet company.

The airline has grown "increasingly concerned with the changes in Priceline's business model," Northwest spokeswoman Mary Beth Schubert said Friday. Schubert did not explain the concerns and said she didn't know if it might resume using the company in the future.

On the Priceline.com site, Internet users can bid on leisure airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages.

Nearly all the major airlines sell distressed seats -- those that are not likely to be sold through traditional sales channels -- through the site.

The New York Times reported Friday that some airlines were angry when Priceline began selling fixed-priced fares on eBay. Bidders on eBay, using a "Buy It Now" option, can purchase tickets without bidding. Some of the major airlines, including Northwest, also founded Priceline competitors Orbitz and Hotwire.

Brian Ek, a spokesman for Priceline, said the Northwest tickets made up a "very, very small number." He said he did not expect other airlines to follow Northwest's move.

"We enjoy a great relationship with the airlines," he told The Times.

Priceline.com was started in 1998. It reported a net loss for 2001 of $15.8 million on revenue of $1.17 billion, and a net loss in 2000 of $329.5 million on revenue of $1.23 billion.

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On the Net:

Northwest Airlines: www.nwa.com

Priceline.com: www.priceline.com