When United Airlines current deal with Expedia expires on October 1, the distribution partnership will likely end as the carrier appears ready to pull the plug.
According to Yahoo Finance, United chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella said during an earnings call this week the airline believes Expedia hasn’t evolved with the times, which puts their relationship in jeopardy.
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United officials are looking to find distribution partners who offer a better value to the company, as the carrier believes it can sell the lowest fares just as well as Expedia. If the relationship ends, the airline’s tickets would no longer be available on CheapTickets, Expedia, Hotwire, Orbitz or Travelocity.
During the same conference call, United president Scott Kirby also said the company was operating under the assumption that it would no longer be working with Expedia in October when it unveiled its financial guidance for the rest of the fiscal year.
The battle between United and Expedia already made its way to court, with a judge ruling the airline would be able to withhold inventory for flights departing after September 30.
While the relationship looks like it can’t be repaired, the two companies were in a similar situation in 2016 and managed to work out a new deal just days before they were due to split.
