American-Sabre Trial Delayed Until October
by By Michèle McDonaldSabre was granted a 60-day extension by Texas State District Court Judge Don Cosby in the antitrust lawsuit filed by American Airlines.
The new trial date is Oct. 3. The trial originally had been set for June, but American won a delay until August after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
American’s current distribution agreement with Sabre will remain in effect until 14 days after the conclusion of the Texas antitrust trial.
Sabre to continue defense
“AA’s claims are without merit,” Sabre said in a statement.
“We continue to believe that our shared stakeholders would be better served by negotiations, rather than litigation, between the companies. To that end, we hope that AA will end this wasteful process. However, since AA continues its litigious course, we will continue to mount a vigorous defense.”
Chris Kroeger, senior vice president of marketing, told subscribers in an email communication that “antitrust cases are complex and typically take multiple years to get to trial. Sabre has continued to work hard to get this case heard as quickly as possible.”
American to seek compensation
In a statement, American said that the airline respects the court’s decisions and that it looks forward to “pursuing our legal rights and seeking compensation for the harm done to our company as a result of Sabre’s antitrust law violations.”
