Orbitz, Travelport to face American's antitrust lawsuit
BY ANDREW HARRIS Bloomberg News
Thursday, August 30, 2012
8/30/12 at 3:42 AM
Read all coverage of American Airlines, including bankruptcy issues.
Original Print Headline: Travel bookers lose ruling to AA
Sabre, Travelport and Orbitz must face American Airlines' antitrust claims, a federal judge in Fort Worth says.
U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means on Wednesday publicly released his previously sealed Aug. 7 decision at the companies' request.
American claims Sabre Holdings Corp., Travelport LP and Orbitz Worldwide Inc. are conspiring to block the airline from entering the electronic flight data and reservations market via its AA Direct Connect system, in violation of federal antitrust laws.
"American identifies the specific intent to monopolize allegedly shared by Sabre, Travelport and Orbitz," Means wrote in his 23-page ruling, denying defense motions to dismiss those claims filed under a part of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
The case is part of a dispute triggered by American's move to provide flight information directly to travel agents, rather than going through the three data providers.
Jill Brenner, a spokeswoman for Atlanta-based Travelport, said in an email statement that "AA's claims against Travelport are without merit both as a matter of law and as a matter of fact."
In an Aug. 16 ruling, Means threw out Travelport counterclaims against the airline.
"We continue to dispute these allegations and will defend ourselves vigorously, with the expectation that Orbitz will prevail," Marita Thomas, a spokeswoman for Chicago-based Orbitz, said in an email.
"There was no decision on the merits of the claims," said Nancy St. Pierre, a spokeswoman for Southlake, Texas-based Sabre. "The judge did not say American's claims were valid, only that American had made allegations sufficient to meet the minimal pleading requirements of federal court.
"American makes a number of unsupported allegations which Sabre denies," she said.
The company's Sabre Inc. unit, which was spun off from AMR in 2000, is the largest U.S.-based global distributor of fare data. Sabre Holdings is also the parent of online travel agent Travelocity.com.
"The court's order confirms that American has adequately pleaded numerous antitrust claims against the defendants, including monopolization and conspiracy claims," the airline said in a statement.
"We would prefer to resolve our dispute with the defendants amicably, but any such resolutions need to end anticompetitive practices and to account for the harm done to American," the airline said. "We are convinced these claims have substantial merit, and absent settlements, we intend to continue vigorously pursuing our legal rights."
Associated Images:
Travelers check in for American Airlines flights at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. The carrier has won a ruling by a federal judge in its lawsuit involving antitrust claims against three online travel-booking companies. Bloomberg file
|
