US Justice Department sues to block Sabre acquisition of Farelogix

The US Justice Department sued Tuesday to block Sabre’s US$360m acquisition of Farelogix, saying in court papers that it was a “dominant firm’s attempt to eliminate a disruptive competitor.” Last week, Sabre said it planned to close the deal announced in November by Wednesday unless the Justice Department sued. The companies agreed last week to extend the termination date of their acquisition agreement to April 30 to allow time for any Justice Department challenge to be resolved. The suit said the firms compete head-to-head to provide booking services to airlines, including offering IT solutions that allow airlines to sell tickets and ancillary products through traditional brick-and-mortar and online travel agencies to the traveling public. <br/>