Orbitz wins transperancy case
Orbitz can again sell American Airline tickets after a US court overturned a previous ruling late last year which failed to block the disappearance of the airline’s fares on the online travel agency.
The Circuit Court of Cook County in Illinois said an injunction should have been granted against AA in December to prevent it from terminating its contracts with the online travel agency.
The decision effectively puts the airline tickets back on Orbitz and Orbitz for Business almost immediately.
“Barring further legal action by American Airlines, it is possible that American Airlines’ flights will be available on Orbitz for at least several months as Travelport attempts to negotiate a new participation agreement with Orbitz,” according to TNOOZ.
Travel experts say it is highly unlikely that Travelport, which controls its largest customer, Orbitz, would conclude a GDS agreement with American Airlines without protecting Orbitz.
Perhaps to its embarrassment, American Airlines just released a new video poking fun at Orbitz for not having the airline’s fares on its site. The video was removed.
As part of its ruling, the Court noted that “Travelport also demonstrated that it had a likelihood of success on the merits” of its claims against AA.
“Travelport is delighted with the Court’s ruling requiring AA’s fares to be reinstated on Orbitz and enabling consumers to book AA tickets through Orbitz. We view this as a significant ruling,” said Kurt Ekert, Travelport’s Chief Commercial Officer.
Travelport maintains it strongly supports consumers’ right to maximum transparency and the ability to shop, compare, and book travel services wherever they choose.
AA, in a statement, says it “fundamentally disagrees” with the court’s decision, saying:
“We want to underscore that this is the exact opposite conclusion than that of the judge who heard the evidence. We are evaluating our options, but in the meantime, we will, of course, comply with the judge’s order.”
By David Wilkening
David
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