Travelport is paying higher segment incentives to Orbitz Worldwide, which currently has no deal with American Airlines, partly to motivate Orbitz to shun airline direct-connect strategies

, Travelport revealed in a Friday Securities and Exchange Commission filing. A Feb. 1 agreement calls for increased incentives as of Dec. 22, 2010, "until the earliest of April 21, 2011, the reinstatement of ticketing authority by AA for the company's Orbitz.com website, the consummation of a direct-connect relationship with AA, or the determination by the company's Audit Committee of the Board of Directors that the company is engaged in a discussion with AA that is reasonably likely to result in a direct-connect relationship between the company and AA." Other related benefits are contingent on Orbitz declining to be "engaged in a discussion with any airline that is reasonably likely to result in a direct connect relationship."