U.S. Won’t Regulate Internet Sale of Tickets

The federal government said it had no plans to regulate the advertisement and sale of airline tickets on the Internet, good news for struggling air carriers that have invested heavily in Web-based marketing strategies.

The Transportation Department’s decision is a big victory for online travel service Orbitz Inc., which is owned by five major airlines.

The growing use of the Internet in recent years to market fares and tickets has weakened the need to force airline participation in all systems, the government said.