Sabre has won a decision against the U.S. Department of Justice over a key acquisition. But it’s still looking for another win.
Sabre emerged the victor in an antitrust case that the Justice Department brought last year, according to a filing with the federal court. The case involved the roughly $360 million acquisition of Farelogix, a deal that was first announced in late 2018.
“This federal court ruling supports our view that the Sabre-Farelogix acquisition is not anti-competitive,” the company said in a statement late Tuesday. “We appreciate the consideration the court gave to these important issues.”
Still, the company now awaits a final decision from the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority, or CMA.
The group “previously stated that it has ‘provisionally decided that prohibition of the merger represents the only effective remedy’ to its competition concerns,” Sabre said.
The deal for Farelogix had originally been expected to wrap up by early 2019.
In August, the DOJ filed a civil suit that claimed the move would allow the Southlake company to eliminate a competitor that has introduced new technology to the travel industry and is poised to grow significantly.
Yet the decision, which was delivered Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Leonard Stark in Delaware, gave the win to Sabre.
The approval comes at a key time for the company as the airline industry has been pummeled by slowing demand in the travel industry amid COVID-19. The company has pulled back on some of its use of cash, including reducing pay.
A decision by the U.K. is expected later this week, Sabre said.