SAN FRANCISCO, July 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is
being released by the law firms of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy,
LLP and Hausfeld, LLP.
A $58 million Settlement has been
reached with All Nippon Airways ("ANA") in a class action lawsuit
involving the price of airline tickets. Settlements were previously
reached with 12 Defendants. The lawsuit claims that ANA
agreed to fix prices on tickets for transpacific air travel.
As a result, ticket purchasers may have paid more than they would
have in the absence of the price-fixing. ANA denies any
liability, although it has pled guilty to fixing the prices of
certain discounted tickets.
There are three classes included in this Settlement.
Generally, purchasers may be included if: (1) Japan Class -
they bought a ticket for air travel from ANA or Japan Airlines
between February 1, 2005 and
December 31, 2007 that included a
fuel surcharge; and/or (2) Satogaeri Class - they purchased
a ticket from ANA or Japan Airlines between January 1, 2000 and April
1, 2006 for a Satogaeri (i.e., "homecoming") fare and
the ticket included at least one flight segment originating in the
U.S. to Japan; and/or (3)
Settlement Class III - they bought a ticket for air travel from one
of 13 airlines, including ANA or Japan Airlines; the ticket
included at least one flight segment originating in the U.S. to
Asia or Oceania; and their
purchase was made between January 1,
2000 and December 1, 2016.
The full class definitions are available at
www.AirlineSettlement.com. Travel agents are only included if
they bought tickets for their personal use.
ANA has agreed to pay $58 million
(the "Settlement Fund"). Money will be distributed pursuant
to a Plan of Allocation approved by the Court. At this time,
it is unknown how much each eligible member of the Classes will
receive. However, based on the claims that have already been
filed, it is estimated that the average payment of prior
settlements, which had classes similar to Settlement Class III,
could be in the range of $5 per
eligible ticket claimed. Because there is no prior claims
history for the Satogaeri and Japan Classes, a per ticket
estimate is not possible for those classes. Claims from the
earlier round of settlements have not yet been audited. As a
result, the number of claimed tickets that are determined to be
eligible may be reduced, and the corresponding amount of
compensation to be allocated among the remaining eligible claims
may increase.
Class Members must submit a Claim Form online at
www.AirlineSettlement.com or by mail. The earliest deadline
to submit a Claim Form is February 15,
2020, but Class Members will have until 120 days after
the Settlement becomes final and effective to file a
claim.
If Class Members do nothing, they will be bound by the Court's
decisions and will get no money. As described above, if Class
Members want to get money from the Settlement, they must file a
claim. If Class Members want to keep their right to sue ANA
and get no money from the Settlement, they must exclude themselves
from the classes by September 13,
2019. If Class Members stay in the classes, they
may object to the Settlement by September
13, 2019. The detailed notice describes how Class
Members can exclude themselves or object and is available on
www.AirlineSettlement.com.
The Court will hold a hearing on October 18, 2019 to consider whether to
approve the Settlement and a request for attorneys' fees up to
one-third of the Settlement Fund, plus reimbursement of costs and
expenses. Class Members or their own lawyer may appear at the
hearing at their own expense, but they do not have to attend.
For more information & a detailed notice, please call
1-800-439-1781 or visit www.AirlineSettlement.com.
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content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/settlement-affects-purchasers-of-airline-tickets-between-the-us-and-asia-australia-new-zealand-or-the-pacific-islands-300879570.html
SOURCE Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP and Hausfeld, LLP