A US federal judge has denied a request by Orbitz, Sabre and Travelport to dismiss a lawsuit filed by American Airlines that accuses the companies of antitrust violations.The decision by US 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 accused the defendants of operating a monopoly in 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."We continue to dispute these allegations and will defend ourselves vigorously, with the expectation that Orbitz will prevail," an Orbitz spokesman said.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.A spokeswoman for Sabre said the company would continue to "vigorously defend ourselves against these baseless and meritless claims."Source: Reuters
Gravity always wins!