3 Airlines Will Pay $29M to Settle Transpacific Air Transport Class Action

Philippine Airlines Inc., Air New Zealand Ltd. and China Airlines Ltd. will pay a total of $29.4 million to settle a class action lawsuit accusing them of conspiring to fix the prices of airline tickets for travel between the United States and Asia/Oceania.

They join several other alleged co-conspirators who have already agreed to Transpacific air transport class action settlements.

The settling defendants include Air France, Japan Airlines International Co., Vietnam Airlines Co., Thai Airways International Public Co. Ltd., Malaysian Airline System Bhd., Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Singapore Airlines Inc. and Quantas Airlines.

According to the Transpacific air transportation class action lawsuit, the defendants engaged in a “long-running, international conspiracy” by a group of airlines that fly from the United States to Asia/Eurasia to impose “air fare increases, including fuel surcharge increases, on international air passengers that were in substantial lockstep both in their timing and amount.”

The plaintiffs claim that ticket purchasers may have paid more than necessary for travel between the United States and Asia/Oceania because of the defendants’ conspiracy.

On Wednesday, the plaintiffs filed a motion seeking preliminary approval of the proposed class action settlements with Philippine Airlines, Air New Zealand and China Airlines.

“The Settlements are the result of informed and contested negotiations, and are fair, reasonable, and adequate,” the plaintiffs say in their motion supporting preliminary approval of the price-fixing class action settlement.

“The monetary recovery for the class is significant, and the cooperation to be provided by the Settling Defendants greatly strengthen Plaintiffs’ case against the non-Settling Defendants.”

Under the terms of the proposed price-fixing class action settlements, China Airlines has agreed to pay $19.5 million plus $250,000 for notice costs; Philippine Airlines has agreed to pay $9 million; and Air New Zealand has agreed to pay $400,000 plus $250,000 for notice costs.

The price-fixing antitrust class action lawsuit was originally filed in 2007. The plaintiffs accused several airlines of conspiring to fix the prices on flights to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

Class Members of the Transpacific air transport settlements include all persons and entities that purchased passenger air transportation originating in the United States that included at least one flight segment to Asia or Oceania from the defendants or their alleged co-conspirators between Jan. 1, 2000 and Dec. 1, 2016.

A hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 16, 2018.

Top Class Actions will post updates to this class action settlement as they become available. For the latest updates, keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter. You can also receive notifications when this article is updated by using your free Top Class Actions account and clicking the “Follow Article” button at the top of the post.

The plaintiffs are represented by Adam J. Zapala and Elizabeth Castillo of Cotchett Pitre & McCarthy LLP, and Michael D. Hausfeld, Seth R. Gassman, Michael Lehmann and Christopher Lebsock of Hausfeld LLP.

The Transpacific Airline Antitrust Class Action Lawsuit is In re: Transpacific Passenger Air Transportation Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 3:08-md-01913, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

UPDATE: On Feb. 13, 2019, a $58 million settlement was reached to resolve class action allegations that All Nippon Airways engaged in a price-fixing scheme on transpacific flights.