A federal jury on Thursday ruled in favor of American Airlines Group Inc in its long-running lawsuit accusing flight booking service Sabre Corp of charging excessive fees and suppressing competition, but awarded the carrier just $1 in damages. Jurors reached a verdict on their fifth day of deliberations, following a three-week trial in federal court in Manhattan. Shares of Sabre rose more than 3% in after-hours trading. The antitrust case had originally been brought by US Airways in 2011, two years before it merged with Fort Worth, Texas-based American. Sabre, based in Southlake, Texas, operates an electronic network used by travel agents to search for and book flights listed by airlines. US Airways had alleged that Sabre impeded travel agents and others from using less expense alternatives for booking seats, and imposed an unduly restrictive distribution agreement. Jurors found that Sabre harmed the carrier by willfully maintaining monopoly power, but found a lack of proof that Sabre unreasonably restrained trade through the challenged contract. “We are pleased and gratified with this landmark verdict,” American said in a statement. “We expect this decision to discourage further misconduct by Sabre and bring needed competition to airline distribution.”<br/>
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British Airways owner IAG has agreed to order 50 Boeing 737 Max jets, handing the US aerospace group a much-needed boost as it struggles to overcome a series of production delays to its core programmes. IAG Thursday said the order for the narrow-bodied aircraft was worth $6.25b at list prices, but that it had secured a “substantial discount” following negotiations. The order is a boost for Boeing’s 737 single-aisle workhorse jet, and comes at a time when the Seattle-based company has faced criticism for a run of delayed deliveries and lost business to rival Airbus. Ryanair’s CE Michael O’Leary this week said Boeing needed new management to help turn round problems within its commercial aviation business, which have included certification issues on its major aircraft programmes. Boeing has been steadily securing orders for the Max since it was declared safe to fly again by US aviation safety regulators in November 2020. Other regulators followed shortly afterwards. About two-thirds of the planes sold by the company in 2021 were variants of the Max. IAG will take delivery of 25 Max 8200 aircraft, which are based on its core design for the single-bodied aircraft, and a further 25 Max-10, a newer larger variant which is yet to be certified by aviation safety regulators. Deliveries are scheduled to take place between 2023 and 2027, and the planes can be used across IAG’s stable of airlines, which includes BA, Iberia and Aer Lingus. The IAG order also contained options to order a further 100 jets. The order represents a smaller version of an initial commitment made by IAG for up to 200 Max jets at the 2019 Paris air show.<br/>
Qantas is now giving customers the option to buy now and pay later on international and domestic flights under a new deal with Zip. Starting from Thursday, 19 May, the airline is also incentivising travellers to use the payment method by letting frequent flyers earn Qantas points with every dollar spent. The Sydney-based carrier is the second Australian airline to partner with Zip, after Virgin joined forces with the financial services company in 2018. The latest collaboration comes a year after Qantas axed its Frequent Flyer deal with AfterPay, which began in 2020. “The option to buy now, pay later through Zip gives our customers more choice in how they pay for their flights,” said Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth. “With Zip they can spread the cost over time choosing flexible repayments, and also earn Qantas Points on the payment as well as the flight itself. Being able to earn points on buy now, pay later purchases through Zip Rewards when shopping online or in store is something that will appeal to many of our members.”<br/>