Travelport has claimed a victory in its long-running battle with American Airlines over the future of air fare distribution.
Travelport wins injunction against American Airlines
Travelport has claimed a victory in its long-running battle with American Airlines over the future of air fare distribution.
In a statement issued on Wednesday evening the GDS said the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, had overturned a prior ruling in favour of American Airlines made in December.
The statement said: “The court conceded that it erred in its December 21, 2010 ruling. Issuing its order today, the court agreed with Travelport that an injunction should have been granted against AA in December which would have prevented AA from terminating its contracts with Orbitz.
“The court’s order requires AA to reinstate Orbitz’s ability to display and ticket AA flights. As a result, Orbitz is able to sell AA’s fares and content immediately. 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 chief commercial officer, Kurt Ekert, said: “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.”
Travelport said it “strongly supports consumers’ right to maximum transparency and the ability to shop, compare, and book travel services wherever they choose”.
It added it “will continue to work constructively with AA to ensure that consumers, corporations and travel agents continue to benefit from the most transparent travel booking processes possible”.
