http://www.ai.mit.edu/courses/6.034f/psets/ps1/airtravel.pdf might help you understand why it's not a trivial problem
(I'm not saying 1-2% commission should or shouldn't cover the costs, just pointing out what goes into these engines).
(I'm not saying 1-2% commission should or shouldn't cover the costs, just pointing out what goes into these engines).
I'm sure the margins are low but given the competition you need high volume to really win and it's a highly competitive and fragmented space.
The UI alone is only part of the business model.