United Airlines, Expedia End Feud Over Online Ticket Sales

(Bloomberg) -- United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Expedia Group Inc. reached a deal to continue online ticket sales, ending a standoff in which the airline had threatened to withdraw from one of the internet’s largest travel sellers.

The agreement covers a multiyear period, the companies said in a statement Monday without specifying how long it would last or disclosing other terms. United, which had said it would withhold fare data from Expedia starting Sept. 30, disclosed last week that the two parties were discussing a new contract.

Airlines and ticket sellers have tussled for years over distribution costs as the carriers have sought to sell more of their own tickets directly to customers. Expedia sued United in February in federal court in New York alleging that the airline had breached a 2011 contract.

In April, a federal judge denied Expedia’s request for an injunction to halt United from removing its fares but said the travel seller would likely be able to prove the airline had breached its contract.

United dropped 2.3% to $89.27 at 9:40 a.m. in New York as airlines tumbled amid the surge in crude prices following an attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry. Expedia fell 1.6% to $130.14.

To contact the reporter on this story: Justin Bachman in Dallas at jbachman2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Case at bcase4@bloomberg.net, Tony Robinson

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