24 July 2009

Agents urged to help passengers claim in BA/Virgin price-fixing case

Agents are being urged to help clients claim refunds as part of a major pay-out for passengers caught up in the British Airways/Virgin price-fixing scandal.

Hausfeld & Co, the law form working on behalf of passengers, has been working with the settlement administrator to simplify the claims process for travel agents.

It said agents wishing to assist customers in claiming their refunds can contact the administrator with a list of those customers.

The administrator will then contact those customers directly and give them information on how to file a claim.

Alternatively, travel agents may file a group claim on behalf of their customers, providing the necessary documentation for each of them including payment information and signatures for each customer.

The administrator can be contacted on freephone 0800 043 0343 or at info@airpassengerrefund.co.uk."

In February 2008 Hausfeld & Co negotiated a Ã&#pound;73.5m settlement with both airlines, providing compensation to UK and US consumers who were overcharged for long-haul airline tickets purchased between August 2004 and March 2006.

Over 211,000 refunds have so far been processed, 170,000 of which originate from UK passengers. Payment has been authorised in 133,000 of these cases.

These figures represent the actual number of claimants so far, from both individuals and businesses, many of whom may have claimed for multiple journeys.

Hausfeld & Co partner Anthony Maton said: Ã¢â¬ÅâœWhilst it is particularly pleasing to see so many cash-strapped UK travellers claiming back what is rightfully theirs in time for the start of the holiday season, these figures only represent the tip of the iceberg.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœWe estimate that both airlines overcharged with respect to 5.6m journeys involving UK customers during the two-year cartel period.Ã¢â¬~

Claimants have until 31 December 2012 to claim refunds.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœUnless significant numbers of claims are made between now and then big companies like BA and Virgin will continue to believe that they can get away with ripping of their loyal customers,Ã¢â¬~ added Maton.

By Bev Fearis