Online travel company Orbitz has termed Vanguard Car Rental's lawsuit as a "baseless" one.

Published: 29 Apr 2008

Online travel company Orbitz has termed Vanguard Car Rental's lawsuit as a "baseless" one.

Vanguard Car Rental, owner and operator of the Alamo and National brands, has filed a complaint against Orbitz Worldwide in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.

In response to the same, Orbitz stated: "Vanguard's new lawsuit against Orbitz lacks merit."

"Vanguard is apparently upset with the way that Orbitz sorts its search results, which provides Orbitz' customers with valued rental car choices. Vanguard wants those results to be sorted in a way that is not required, and which would take away reservations from other valued suppliers. The bottom line is that Vanguard is trying to use a lawsuit to get a sorting result from Orbitz that Vanguard and Orbitz did not agree to. In short, Vanguard is trying to use its lawsuit to get something for nothing," stated Orbitz.

"Orbitz will vigorously defend itself against Vanguard's claim and remains confident the court will rule against Vanguard's baseless attempt to redefine the parties' relationship."

Media reported that in a lawsuit filed, the car rental companies allege Orbitz "inappropriately demanded" a $1.5 million payment not required by a listing agreement which runs through the end of the year. AP reported: "After the rental companies refused to pay the fee, Orbitz removed the brands from its main rental car matrix, which allows customers to compare companies side-by-side, Alamo and National said. Customers who click a link can see Alamo and National listings in an extended version of the grid, however, and the companies' offers continue to appear elsewhere on Orbitz sites."

It added: "The car rental companies are accusing Orbitz of "breach of contract, intentional interference with prospective business relationships, consumer deception, deceptive trade practices and unfair competition." Vanguard estimated the move will cost Alamo more than $27 million in lost revenue through the end of the year. It did not provide a similar figure for National but said in court documents that it expects a similar drop-off in bookings."