At this point the battle between American Airlines and Orbitz, Expedia and other distribution systems is beginning to resemble one of those messy Hollywood divorces. But for the traveling public, who's right and who's wrong is less relevant than the fact that for many individuals, travel is about to get even less enjoyable.

I‘ve been thinking about the end a lot lately. Maybe you have, too. Birds are falling out of the sky. Fish are dying. Let me rephrase my headline: I don’t know for a fact that the world isn’t ending. Some believe it is.