Orbitz Worldwide Responds to Anti-Consumer Bullying Tactics and the Baseless Lawsuit Filed by American Airlines

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Apr 13, 2011, 02:35 ET

CHICAGO, April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement by Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW) is in response to a lawsuit filed yesterday in Texas by American Airlines against Travelport and Orbitz:

"American Airlines' baseless claims against Orbitz are the latest in a series of tactics to force Orbitz to adopt an airline ticket distribution model that limits consumer choice and inhibits competition.

It is important to keep the facts straight. American Airlines made the decision to play the role of the marketplace bully and pull its fares from Orbitz. Having failed to force Orbitz to adopt unproven technology that does not meet the needs of our customers, American Airlines is now resorting to groundless litigation in a desperate attempt to revive an unsuccessful strategy.

The unfortunate truth is that American Airlines is attempting to deprive consumers of the ability to compare prices across competing airlines.

Orbitz gives consumers access to powerful tools that allow them to search across hundreds of airlines and millions of itinerary options to easily book the trip that best meets their needs.

Since it was launched in 2001, Orbitz has been at the forefront of improving the travel experience for consumers.

Orbitz will defend itself with vigor and is leaving open all possible options to seek relief from American Airlines' predatory actions."

About Orbitz Worldwide

Orbitz Worldwide is a leading global online travel company that uses innovative technology to enable leisure and business travelers to research, plan and book a broad range of travel products. Orbitz Worldwide owns a portfolio of consumer brands that includes Orbitz (www.orbitz.com), CheapTickets (www.cheaptickets.com), ebookers (www.ebookers.com), HotelClub (www.hotelclub.com), RatesToGo (www.ratestogo.com) and the Away Network (www.away.com). Also within the Orbitz Worldwide family, Orbitz Worldwide Distribution (http://corp.orbitz.com/partnerships/distribution) delivers private label travel solutions to a broad range of partners including many of the world's largest airlines, and Orbitz for Business (www.orbitzforbusiness.com) delivers managed corporate travel solutions for corporations. For more information on partnership opportunities with Orbitz Worldwide, visit corp.orbitz.com. Orbitz Worldwide uses its Investor Relations website to make information available to its investors and the public at http://www.orbitz-ir.com. You can sign up to receive email alerts whenever the company posts new information to the website.