American Airlines sues The Points Guy

The Future. American Airlines is suing The Points Guy (TPG), claiming that the company is violating trademark and privacy rules. The airline claims that TPG is benefiting from the airline’s hard-earned consumer relationships and “free-riding on decades of investment.” First Olive Garden, now American Airlines — there seems to be a rising trend of David vs. Goliath legal battles… and the outcome of this one may reveal where the power is shifting.

Airline vs. Guy
American Airlines is not happy with The Points Guy:

• The Points Guy, started by CEO Brian Kelly, is known for helping travelers maximize credit card points and airline miles.
• Last year, The New York Times wrote a detailed feature on Kelly’s journey to success.
• In November, WME signed Kelly to expand his empire through TV, books, and podcasts.

Now, Kelly is using his influential platform and celebrity status to explain his POV on the lawsuit in the hope that consumers will take his side.

Frequent flyer favorite
The TPG app was launched in September to help travelers track all of their loyalty programs in one spot for free. Kelly noted that this helps consumers best understand the value of all of their points and rewards, which empowers people to reach their travel aspirations more easily.

In response to the lawsuit, The Points Guy says that consumers should be able to make their own decisions, advocating that users have the right to choose whether they share their loyalty balances with a third-party app. In response, TPG is suing the airline for trying to block their service.