Fliers more likely to get reimbursement

Comments | USA TODAY, August, 2007 | by Dan Reed and Barbara De Lollis

Admissions of collusion this week by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic in setting fuel surcharges improves prospects for reimbursement of travelers who paid them, lawyers said Thursday.

But how much and when money may flow back to consumers remains unclear.

In settlements with the U.S. Department of Justice and with British antitrust authorities, both British air giants admitted collusion in setting surcharges to offset a 55% jump in fuel prices from 2004 to 2006. BA paid about $546 million in fines to the two governments; Virgin, by volunteering to come clean with authorities, received no fine.

Michael Hausfeld, lead attorney in a year-old federal class-action lawsuit against BA and Virgin for collusion in setting fuel surcharges, says the...