Lawyers Representing American Airlines Seek ‘Substantial’ Fees From Sabre

Lawyers who represented American Airlines filed a lawsuit in federal court against Sabre Corp for fees associated with 11 years of litigation.

According to Reuters.com, the lawyers representing the carrier filed the complaint in a Manhattan federal court that it deserves “substantial” legal fees after winning a $1 antitrust verdict at trial in May.

United States District Judge Lorna Schofield is now tasked with deciding if the airline’s lawyers are entitled to the fees, which they claim were “very, very substantial.” Experts told Reuters the fees sought by the carrier are expected to be at least tens of millions of dollars, as the litigation included two trials and an appeal.

Sabre officials oppose the carrier’s demand for fees, with the travel technology company saying that American’s attorneys should not get paid since the airline already won the nominal verdict.

The original lawsuit was filed in 2011 and accused Sabre of charging excessive fees and curbing competition in the flight-booking market. The two companies worked for months to settle the fee dispute out of court, but were unable to come to an agreement.

American has become no stranger to the courts, as the airline’s case against the U.S. Department of Justice is coming to a close. The government joined forces with six states and the District of Columbia to claim that American and JetBlue coordinating flights and pooling revenue would be a de facto merger and add nearly $700 million in extra annual costs to travelers.

Despite the court battle, American announced in October it had entered into new long-term agreements with travel’s three largest global distribution systems—Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport—to ensure that customers continue to enjoy easy avenues of purchasing travel from the carrier.