Fuel surcharge refunds

[Tonish]

From BBC News:

BA and Virgin to pay out refunds
People who flew long-haul with British Airways or Virgin Atlantic between 11 August 2004 and 23 March 2006 will be eligible for a refund.
Virgin and BA have reached agreement on a class action suit, which will now have to be approved by US courts.

BA was fined for price-fixing on fuel surcharges while Virgin also admitted breaching the law but escaped a fine.

The refunds will be worth one-third of the fuel surcharge, between about £1 and £11.50 for each flight.

Claims process

Individuals and businesses that bought a ticket on either airline in the UK or the US will be able to claim refunds.

"Virgin deeply regrets its involvement and believes the provisional settlement draws a line under the episode," a spokesman for the airline said.

"The US courts still need to approve the refund process, which will take some time, and further details about the claims process will then be announced by an independent claims administrator," he added.

British Airways' chief executive Willie Walsh also said that the settlement would give the airline a chance to move on.





"As we have previously said, we absolutely condemn any anti-competitive activity by anybody," he said.

"This settlement, which British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have jointly agreed with the lawyers for the plaintiffs, is fair and reasonable," he added.

BA shares were down 1.9% in late-morning trading.

Whistle-blower

The class action suit was brought by the US law firm Cohen Milstein.

Cohen Milstein estimates that the settlement will be worth about $200m (£100m), £73.5m of which will be set aside to pay claims by passengers who bought tickets in the UK in pounds sterling.

BA said that the refunds would be worth between £1 and £11.50 per flight while Virgin said they would be between £2 and £10.

BA was fined £121.5m by the Office of Fair Trading and $300m by the US Department of Justice for colluding with Virgin on the level of fuel surcharges that would be added to their ticket prices.

Virgin escaped the fines because it had informed the authorities that the breaches had happened.




Good. They're all scoundrels. Look forward to receiving my cheque.

[orlandodaze]

Thanks for that Peter , looks like we are owed a few sterling. Problem is so few people will have records of travel times .Seems like a bit of a headache for Willie Walsh .

[mizzy]

i'm owed something back too, we got hit with £40 each in fuel surcharges because we choose to fly prem econ [msnsad]

[Katys Grandad]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by mizzy
i'm owed something back too, we got hit with £40 each in fuel surcharges because we choose to fly prem econ [msnsad]
[/quote]

Are you sure it was a fuel surcharge Mizzy? Sounds to me more like the higher rate of departure tax that would be payable when you fly in a premium cabin.

[mizzy]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Katys Grandad
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by mizzy
i'm owed something back too, we got hit with £40 each in fuel surcharges because we choose to fly prem econ [msnsad]
[/quote]

Are you sure it was a fuel surcharge Mizzy? Sounds to me more like the higher rate of departure tax that would be payable when you fly in a premium cabin.
[/quote]

yes you are right my brain is on a go slow today [msnembarrased] and i was thinking of last yr, i can still claim for my march 05 holiday though depending on how difficult they make the claims process of course

[brizzle]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by orlandodaze
Thanks for that Peter , looks like we are owed a few sterling. Problem is so few people will have records of travel times .Seems like a bit of a headache for Willie Walsh .
[/quote]

With Virgin you can check departure and return dates if you are a member of the Flying Club and got points for the flight.

If you check your statement the maximum you appear to be able to search back is 1 year.

If you choose this option, wait for the page to load and then change the 'statementSelection=3' in the address bar at the top to 'statementSelection=4' and hit enter then I get all my flying points ever added
[msnwink]

[christhear]

Your passport will have been date stamped everytime you enter the US, you then have to work out who you flew with.
As we have only flown BA or Virgin it means I'm due a refund on 4 flights.

[Lynnes]

How do we go about getting this refund?

[mizzy]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/bu...ng-782686.html

there is a weblink in thie article to claim, opens at 7pm

[andy_d]

It could be a few quid if the refunds are set at around £10 per flight. We have been maybe two or three times in the period..... and if you count the whole family's seats there and back. I'll have to do some digging aroung now and see if I can find details of flights etc.