Travel companies must face American Airlines antitrust suit: judge

The decision by U.S. District Judge Terry Means in Fort Worth, Texas, which had been under seal, was made public on Tuesday following a request by the parties to unseal the order.

American Airlines, whose parent company is AMR Corp , accused the defendants of monopolizing how fares and flights are distributed to travel agents.

Orbitz is an online travel agency, Travelport provides transaction processing, and Sabre runs a distribution system that delivers fare and flight information to travel agents.

Judge Means had previously dismissed some claims by American Airlines, but he allowed the company to submit a second amended complaint. In his most recent decision, Means found that American had adequately alleged that the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to preserve their market power.

Nancy St. Pierre, a spokeswoman for Sabre, said the company would continue to "vigorously defend ourselves against these baseless and meritless claims."

American Airlines, Travelport and Orbitz did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The case is American Airlines Inc. V. Travelport Ltd et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, No 11-0244.

(Reporting by Andrew Longstreth; Editing by Paul Tait)