Norway’s high court, the Høyesterett, has upheld a previous ruling by a local court that Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) was guilty of misusing sensitive data from Norewegian Air on pricing and routes and must pay its rival NOK 175 million (nearly $30 million) in compensation. SAS has also been ordered to pay court costs.
This ruling is the culmination of a long-running court battle between the two airlines following a dispute over SAS’ use of an electronic booking system called Amadeus that the two airlines shared following SAS’ acquisition of domestic airline Braathens. However SAS’ access to the system was supposed to have expired in December 2002 but it continued to have access concerning Norwegian Air’s ticket sales and routes until 2005.
The original ruling by a local court in Asker og Bærum convicted SAS for not giving up access at the agreed time and ordered SAS to pay NOK 132 million in compensation and NOK 6 million in court costs. SAS appealed, only to lose again when the appeals court ordered it to pay NOK 160 million in damages plus NOK 15 million in court costs, which the high court ruled must now stand.
SAS officials have stated to local media that it was disappointed by the ruling but was glad the case was over.