Feathers were flying, dust was stirred up and a general hullabaloo was underway when American Airlines and US Airways announced last week that they’d be pulling fares off travel booking site Orbitz.com. But now the tiff is over almost as quickly as it began, as the two sides have agreed to get back together.
Last week American pulled its fares from Orbitz.com and all its websites, saying it couldn’t agree to a new contract with the company. US Airways was set to remove its fares this week as well.
But the parties involved have come to an understanding, with American confirming that it signed a “letter of intent” with Orbitz to make way for a deal, and its fares went back on the site on Friday, reports the Chicago Tribune. US Airways fares remained on the site as well, the company said.
“The companies are working toward final agreements based on the letter of intent,” American said in a statement.
All tickets bought on Orbitz sites are still valid for travel, and travelers can once again change their flights through the sites.
“We are pleased that our long-standing relationship with American Airlines allowed us to quickly resolve business matters, and that we continue to offer a broad range of options, including American Airlines and US Airways flights, to the millions of shoppers who book travel on our global sites each day,” Sam Fulton, president of Orbitz.com, said in a statement.
American had a similar dispute with Expedia and Hotwire back in 2011 — and because time is a flat circle, what has happened before will probably happen again. As long as there’s money to be made, there are disputes to be had, after all.
American Airlines fares back on Orbitz after scuffle [Chicago Tribune]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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