A federal judge ruled in favor of Sabre Corp. in its contentious battle to acquire rival Farelogix.
It beat off an antitrust lawsuit brought by the U.S. Justice Department claiming it was anti-competitive and would only further cement Sabre’s dominant position in the airline booking market.
"This federal court ruling supports our view that the Sabre-Farelogix acquisition is not anti-competitive," said a statement from Sabre spokeswoman Kristin Hay.
The Justice Department said Sabre wanted to buy Farelogix as it is a threat to Sabre’s outdated GDS tech.
Sabre says there are not direct competitors.
Justice Department officials say Sabre has about half of the global ticket booking market.
It argued a merger would result in ‘higher prices, reduced quality and less innovation for airlines.’
Sabre still has one more obstacle before it can complete the deal.
It awaits a ruling from the Competition & Markets Authority in the UK, which is expected this week.
