In late December, just a week after American Airlines taken out its fares from Orbitz, Travelport terminated a developer’s agreement it had with Farelogix.
Tnooz reported in 2009 that Sabre, too, had terminated its developer’s agreement with Farelogix, but Travelport’s move in opposition to Farelogix hadn’t been extensively acknowledged till American Airlines reviewed it in its April antitrust complaint towards Travelport. American Airlines furnished more facts about the worldwide distribution moves versus Farelogix, which handles immediate-connects for the airline, when it additional Sabre as a defendant in an amended grievance filed June 1.
American Airlines alleges that Travelport terminated a Farelogix developer’s agreement Dec. 28, 2010, a week following the airline severed its relationship with Travelport-managed Orbitz simply because of Farelogix’s role in advancing American Airlines’ direct-connect initiative.
“Other application developers have been told that under their agreements with Travelport they are not permitted to work with Farelogix or AA Immediate Connect,” the airline alleges.
What did the lower-off mean to Farelogix?
“It means that Farelogix can no lengthier provide any Travelport GDS connectivity by means of a Farelogix platform for travel agencies even when the agency would like us to and the company already had a subscriber arrangement with Travelport,” says Jim Davidson, Farelogix CEO.
Travelport declined to comment on the situation. “We do not, by policy, comment on the specifics of our industrial relationships or pending legal matters,” says Travelport spokeswoman Jill Brenner.
American Airlines also furnished even more detail in its amended grievance about Sabre’s termination of a Farelogix developer’s arrangement in 2009, alleging the action was taken simply because Farelogix was helping airlines with their direct-link strategies.
The airline noted that devoid of the growth agreement with Sabre, which had been in area since 2005, “Farelogix does not have accessibility to the APIs that are essential to permit its software program to interoperate with Sabre subscribers’ front-, mid- and back again-workplace methods.”
In 2009, Sabre spokeswoman Nancy St. Pierre commented about the termination of the Farelogix developer’s agreement:
Nonetheless, as we mentioned previously this yr, the termination of the developer arrangement with Farelogix only affected a handful of Sabre subscribers and we have labored challenging to make sure their needs have been taken care of. Our action was taken in light of the evolution of the Farelogix organization design to a single of material fragmentation, and what grew to become distinct was an attempt to free trip off of our database and techniques. The termination was entirely compliant with the terms of the agreement and with any applicable law. Sabre has not informed any of its subscribers not to do business with Farelogix.
American alleges that Sabre also ordered Pass Consulting, a Farelogix spouse which offers multi-GDS access, to restrict Farelogix’s accessibility to Sabre through PASS or risk losing its own developer’s agreement with Sabre.
“Other application developers functioning with Farelogix and American on Direct Connect growth have reported comparable from Sabre that they are not to function with Farelogix or any other entity that facilitates immediate connections,” American alleges.
The airline’s allegations are aspect of antitrust lawsuits against Sabre, Travelport and Orbitz Around the world.
The U.S. Division of Justice earlier delved into the Sabre-Farelogix issue and presently is investigating the GDS antitrust issue.
