American Airlines And The Points Guy Are Suing Each Other

The websites that work with AAdvantage member data have been taken down by American Airlines. Award wallet stopped tracking member accounts and they sent a cease and desist letter to The Points Guy over its app which lets customers track their frequent flyer program balances.

The app didn't authorize access to American AAdvantage accounts. Instead, it was screen scraper accounts for members who provided their login credentials. Red Ventures first sued American Airlines for declaratory relief after American sought to stop the practice. American Airlines and its subsidiary have countersued in the Northern District of Texas.

The Point Guy is accused of violating American's terms and conditions by accessing AAdvantage members accounts through its mobile application. The Point Guy's app displays American's trademarks without permission or licensing according to the suit.

An American Airlines spokesman gives an offer.

The AA.com and AAdvantage customer account data is not being accessed in a way that complies with our standards for use of confidential information. We were surprised when Red Ventures filed its lawsuit last Tuesday, as we had been in discussions with them, hoping to amicably resolve the issues. We take customer data and proprietary information very seriously, and want to make sure it is protected and secure.

Two things seemed clear when American Airlines forced Award Wallet to stop tracking AAdvantage accounts.

The issue was not security, since both American and Award wallet had a security protocol in place. American has a path to address any security concerns while allowing members to manage their accounts as they choose.
An American Airlines source said that they wanted customers to check their accounts at AA.com so they could be marketed to.

Brian Kelly, founder of The Points Guy, believes that a consumer should have the right to track their points.

He found the move against sites that help members keep track of their miles to be strange, but I don't think that's a motivation in the way pushing members to AAdvantage marketing channels.

United and Delta have pushed back against other third parties accessing their data, but they haven't received cease and desist letters from any other loyalty program.

I would love to see the question of whether American AAdvantage website terms and conditions preclude third party access to the site, or use of account credentials supplied to them by the members themselves, to a conclusion. The Points Guy's parent company has the resources to prosecute this if they follow that path.

The CEO of Red Ventures, who was a passenger on US Airways 1549, is worth over $2 billion, thanks to the company's ownership of CNet, Bankrate and other websites. They filed suit first.

American Airlines was in Australia to promote their new service to Sydney, as well as their new service to New Zealand and a joint venture with Qantas. Suzanne Rubin was talking about frequent flyer programs.

November 16, 2015.

"General"

Award wallet is the best way to track and manage frequent flyer accounts. When your balance changes, they let you know. When your flight plans change, they let you know. TheyTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkia

December 17, 2021.

"Airlines"

AwardWallet will once again be able to track frequent flyer accounts. They said this morning that they've worked through their disagreements. American Airlines and AwardWallet are making it easier and more convenient for AAdvantage members to track their mileage balances. American Airlines is...

August 6, 2013)

"General"