An American Airlines official provided the following statement regarding the
carrier's decision to "terminate [Orbitz's] authority to ticket AA flights on its Orbitz.com and Orbitz for Business Web sites" as of Dec. 1.
"For now, customers still can compare and purchase American's fares on Orbitz and Orbitz-powered sites. American values its longstanding relationship with Orbitz and desires an agreement that works for both parties. We continue to negotiate in good faith to reach a viable, mutually beneficial agreement with Orbitz. We believe it is important that our distribution channels be cost-effective and efficient. Consumers benefit when inefficiencies in the travel distribution marketplace are addressed."
When asked by email if AA has made similar decisions regarding other online distributors, AA manager of merchandising strategy Cory Garner wrote, "We're going to stick to our holding statement for now."