American Airlines sues Travelport and Orbitz

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) has filed a lawsuit against both Travelport and Orbitz.

The company issued the following statement:

“American Airlines has filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Travelport, LLC, and Orbitz Worldwide to stop exclusionary and anticompetitive business practices of the defendants and recover monetary damages that American has incurred as a result of these harmful actions.

The lawsuit states that Travelport, which effectively controls the distribution of fares and other content to a large number of travel agencies and their corporate customers, has engaged in anticompetitive conduct to protect its market position from new competition by alternative technologies that are both less expensive and more capable.

The suit, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, also claims that illegal actions of Travelport and Orbitz have harmed consumers by suppressing innovation that would be beneficial to airline passengers. In addition to requesting injunctive relief from the defendants’ actions, American is seeking recovery of monetary damages.

The lawsuit follows extensive, yet unsuccessful, discussions between American and Orbitz and Travelport (Orbitz is affiliated with Travelport) to resolve a dispute over distribution of the airline’s fares and schedules. American intends to honor its existing contractual obligations with Travelport throughout the proceedings of this action and expects it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.”

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough. Please click on the photo for additional aircraft details.

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