That time American Airlines had no hubs, its routes were regulated, and it was mainly a long-haul carrier. This meant that American Airlines would have lost market share in a subjective reservations system controlled by a competitor. In keeping with the systems thinking of the time American Airlines developed a computerized reservation system with the intention of cutting costs through the reduction of clerical staff. Initially, the system was meant to be used by American Airlines reservation staff only. The system automated the main clerical tasks including finding out flight information, booking a seat on a flight, issuing tickets and invoices, etc. This information system was expensive to develop and, when it came online, competitors filed lawsuits claiming that it gave American Airlines an unfair advantage (mainly because American Airlines flights were listed first by the system). Other air companies aspired to implement their own reservation systems, for example, Delta Airlines created DATAS, United Airlines developed the Apollo system and TWA created PARS (TWA is now owned by American Airlines). But that early computer
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