JetBlue sued for pulling fares from OTA

Sunday, 07 Jan, 2021 0

JetBlue Airways is being sued for allegedly blocking its fares from online travel agency customers.

By doing so, Fareportal Holdings Inc claims the airline is denying customers the opportunity to easily compare fares of different airlines together, and is trying to steer customers to book on its own website.

Fareportal, which operates the CheapOair and OneTravel websites, filed the antitrust lawsuit seeking unspecified damages.

The suit says JetBlue’s refusal to let the OTA display fares is a move to hinder comparison shopping and allow JetBlue to get more direct business.

"JetBlue is using Covid-relief handouts from American taxpayers to take American consumers for a ride," the suit stated.

That ‘makes it difficult if not impossible for travelers to determine the airline that offers the best combination of price and service,’ the complaint says.

Fareportal took legal action after JetBlue ended discussions over extending their partnership which dates back nearly 20 years.

The lawsuit states tickets worth $170 million were sold through Fareportal in 2019.

Written by Ray Montgomery, US Editor

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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