United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Price-fixing lawsuit filed against four transatlantic airlines
Reports from the US have confirmed that two Americans have filed a price-fixing lawsuit against four major transatlantic air carriers accusing them of using fuel surcharges to wrongfully inflate prices.
The suit was filed in New York Federal Court late on Friday and charges British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines and United Airlines of conspiring conspired to fix passenger ticket prices, partly through the use of fuel surcharges.
Susan Saldana of Newton, Massachusetts and Ian Reynell of Chicago, Illinois, claim BA has added at least six fuel surcharges since May 2004, conspiring with the other airlines to artificially inflate ticket prices.
The New York Federal Court was filed just days after the Office of Fair Trading visited BA’s offices as part of a civil and criminal investigation into alleged price coordination.
The US Department of Justice confirmed last Thursday that it was investigating possible anti-competitive practices in airline passenger fares and cargo shipments, but it did not identify which airlines were under investigation.
American Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic all said last week they were involved in the probe, but were not direct targets.
The plaintiffs are demanding reimbursement and damages against the airlines, and seeking class action status for their suit, which would include all travellers who bought transatlantic tickets with the airlines named in the suit over the last four years.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Robert Terrell: A Journey Through BB King’s Influence
Rochelle Hicks: Celebrating Mississippi’s Musical Legacy
Exploring Jacksonville with Katie Mitura: The Flip Side of Florida
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Boy falls to death on cruise ship
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel