[hef19898]

And almost all online booking services are using the same duopoly with the same legacy tech anyway.

As with all B2B backbone systems, consumers are hardly ever aware that the even exist. Power grids, pipelines, shipping, ERPs, airline booking all are systems people ignore until something goes wrong. And those systems are shielded from consumers by multiple layers of middleware and middlemen that hide the complexity of things.

Good for consumers, the downside is that the actual knowledge of hoe things works gets more and more concentrated on a very small group of experts that have to keep the lights on while proverbial Jane in Accounting or Bob in marketing don't like the UI and tech bro Chad prevers to move fast an brake things with management assuming agile is the solution to everything.