American Airlines has filed a lawsuit in the US against travel technology firm Sabre.
The airline alleges that Sabre’s recent decision to downgrade fares on reservation systems used by travel agents is a breach of the terms of its contract.
AA has also won an injunction that prevents Sabre from hiding the carrier’s fares until a ruling is made at a hearing scheduled for January 24.
The two companies are entrenched in a bitter dispute about how the airline sells its tickets. AA wants bookers to buy tickets through its Direct Connect product that bypasses the traditional global distribution systems.
Last week Sabre revealed that it planned to stop selling AA altogether in August, one month before their contract is due to expire.
The airline told a court in Texas it believed this action would mean Sabre was breaching the terms of their contract.
Local reports said the airline told the court that Sabre’s actions would significantly increase its costs, cause it to miss out on billions of revenue dollars and damage its corporate reputation.
An AA statement said: “We are gratified that, after a contested hearing, the Court has granted American’s request for interim relief, to be in effect until the Court considers American’s request for longer term relief.”