US Airways tells jury Sabre overcharges cost it almost $300 million

A lawyer for US Airways told jurors that Sabre Holdings Corp. cost it $299.3 million in overcharges and lost profits, at the start of an antitrust trial in Manhattan.

US Airways sued Sabre in 2011 claiming it charged inflated fees for its computerized reservation services, avoided competing over prices and blocked competitors from entering the market. The airline is seeking reimbursement for its claimed losses, which can be tripled under U.S. antitrust law.

“This case is about abuse of power and greed by a monopolist,” the airline’s lawyer R. Paul Yetter told jurors. “Sabre was was abusing its monopoly power and it was doing it to cash in on monopoly profits.”

Sabre says it acted lawfully and fairly in a competitive marketplace.

“Sabre is not a monopoly,” the company’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, said. “And Sabre is successful because it offers a great product that meets customers’ needs.” He called the airline’s attempt to repudiate past contracts “a money grab after the fact.”

US Airways won a $5.1 million award in 2016 that was tripled to $15.3 million. But the verdict was thrown out in 2019 and sent back for a new trial. The airline was acquired by American Airlines Group Inc. in 2013.

US Airways says no competitor in more than 30 years has entered the market to provide a computerized platform to connect airlines and other travel companies to travel agents.

The case is US Airways v. Sabre Holdings, 11-cv-02725, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).