Image from The Guardian
Well, it looks like the consumer is going to lose another one… The BA/VA fuel surcharge refund has been delayed, indefinitely.
For those not familiar with the transatlantic price fixing scandal, check this out from one of my other blogs:
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have been in the news for the last few years for being apart of an alleged price fixing scandal. Well, the lawyers got to work and now there is a huge settlement on offer.
If you flew British Airways or Virgin Atlantic between the US and the UK between August 11, 2004 and March 23, 2006, you are entitled to a partial refund of the fuel surcharge you were charged.
The amount you receive is based on $7 to $34 a flight. My wife and I travelled back and forth to England twice in the time period, so we should get a hundred bucks or so. Not a bad deal considering how pissed we were to see the fuel surcharge cost more than the tickets when we purchased them.
Well, now it’s clear that we won’t be seeing any money, anytime soon. The lawyers have decided to drag this out for as along as possible and knowing the speed of our court systems, we might see money sometime before 2099.
I was wondering why it was taking so long to get my money and I decided to check the price fixing settlement settlement website to see what was going on. I present to you the message we were all dreading to read:
IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING DELAY IN THE TIMING OF REFUND PAYMENTS
On October 21, 2008, three Objectors appealed the Order and Final Judgment approving the Settlements. The Objectors argue that the District Court should not have exercised subject matter jurisdiction over UK Settlement Class Members whose claims are for travel to destinations other than the United States, and that the Court should not have certified the class. Resolution of this appeal is likely to take at least six months, and could take more than a year (or several years), depending on the speed with which the appeals court decides the issue. ALL PAYMENTS TO ALL CLAIMANTS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE UNITED KINGDOM WILL BE DELAYED UNTIL THE APPEAL BY THE THREE OBJECTORS IS RESOLVED.
A copy of the Objection to the Settlement is available in the “Important Documents” section of this website. The Court’s Orders finding subject matter jurisdiction and approving the Settlements as well as a transcript of the final approval hearing are also available on the Important Documents section of this website. Settlement Class Counsel’s response to the Objection will be posted when available.
Class members who have any questions regarding the appeal or any aspect of the delay, please do not hesitate to contact the claims administrator or the lawyers for the class.
I’ll keep all of you updated. But don’t ever count on seeing a dime.
