DOW JONES NEWSWIRES AMR Corp.'s (AMR) American Airlines unit received a civil investigative demand from the U.S. Department of Justice, which is investigating if global distribution systems violate antitrust laws. Last month, American Airlines escalated its dispute with some of its key ticket sellers, suing Travelport LP and Orbitz Worldwide Inc. (OWW) for damages and seeking a permanent injunction against alleged anticompetitive practices. AMR had removed its flights from Orbitz at the end of last year as part of a broader dispute with Travelport, a private equity-controlled company that owns the second-largest U.S. online travel agent as well as three global distribution systems. Similarly, US Airways Group Inc. (LCC) launched an antitrust suit in April against the travel-services provider Sabre Holdings Corp., which had said it would aggressively defend itself and called the lawsuit it called baseless and misguided. American Airline said Friday it welcomes the antitrust division's investigation and intends to cooperate fully. Travelport and Orbitz representatives weren't immediately available for comment. Airlines have for years been trying to force changes in the way that global distribution systems operate, pushing for more flexibility to sell tickets and other products through their own websites. The industry also sees the business model of the global distribution systems industry--which takes data from airlines and then charges them for each booking based on that information--as outdated and unsustainable. AMR shares were trading down 2 cents at $6.70 while Orbitz stock was up a penny at $2.70. -By Melodie Warner, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2283; melodie.warner@dowjones.com
