US court dismisses American case against Travelport
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A court in Texas has dismissed all but one count of American Airlines’ anti-trust case against Travelport. In a decision issued on 21 November 2011, the District Court ruled against American’s claims that Travelport monopolises distribution to travel agencies, and that the technology company conspired with travel agencies to monopolise distribution. It upheld the airline’s claim however, that Travelport monopolises access to Travelport’s current travel agency subscriber base.
Travelport said it is “pleased that the Court recognised the meritless nature of most of the claims”.
American Airlines has been in a long-running dispute with several GDS companies and online travel agencies over its plans to drive more bookings to its AA Direct Connect booking site. Several travel technology companies have threatened to remove the carrier’s products from their distribution networks. American has responded by accusing GDS providers, including Travelport, of monopolising distribution channels.