US judge rules against Expedia in United fare listings lawsuit

A federal judge in Manhattan on Friday rejected Expedia's request for an injunction that would have required United to continue providing fare data for flights after Sept. 30, when the companies' contract ends. US District Judge Kevin Castel said Expedia had shown a "likelihood of success" on the merits of its breach of contract claim, but did not show a preliminary injunction was needed to avoid irreparable harm or serve the public interest. An injunction would have required United to provide Expedia with fare and schedule information for all its publicly available flights, including those after Sept. 30. "We welcome the ruling from the judge in favor of United which will minimize the risk of disrupting our customers’ travel plans and ensure we can effectively serve customers who need to make changes to their itineraries purchased through Expedia," United said. Expedia did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The dispute came as some carriers try to reduce distribution costs by encouraging travellers to book directly rather than through online travel agencies such as Expedia.<br/>