SAS Cargo Pays $13.9 Million in Price-Fixing Settlement

SAS Cargo will pay $13.9 million to settle class-action lawsuits over price-fixing in international air freight transport, pushing airline settlements in the private claims by attorneys representing shippers beyond $200 million.

SAS, one of several carriers that faced criminal penalties in the United States in the investigation of a global price-fixing conspiracy, also will pay $500,000 in “notice costs” and agreed to “provide substantial cooperation” in ongoing lawsuits, according to a statement by the Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer law firm.

The settlement with SAS Cargo and its parent Scandinavian Airline System still is subject to court approval.

By The Numbers: International Air Freight Industry.

Kaplan Fox has won approval for previous settlements of $85 million with Lufthansa Cargo and a total of $104 million with Air France-KLM, Japan Airlines and American Airlines, the firm said.

SAS previously paid a $52 million penalty after pleading guilty to criminal charges in the United States, where the investigation into alleged antitrust violations on war-risk surcharges and other fees has produced more than $1 billion in fines and jail terms for several former airline cargo executives.

One of those sentenced to a jail term last year was Timothy Pfiel, a one-time head of sales and marketing for SAS Cargo in the Americas.