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  • 2018-10-31 (xsd:date)
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  • Can Southwest and American Airlines Passengers Collect Money from a Lawsuit Settlement? (en)
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  • In October 2018, readers contacted us saying that they had received similar messages concerning a purported settlement for passengers who had traveled on certain domestic airline flights: According to the message, the Southwest Airlines settlement applied to passengers who bought their tickets between 1 July 2011 and 20 December 2017, while passengers on American Airlines flights were eligible if they bought their tickets between 1 July 2011 and 14 June 2018. The claims regarding settlements on the part of the two airlines are accurate, and both stem from the same consolidated lawsuit comprising 23 separate anti-trust suits. According to the complaint, the airlines began colluding in 2009 to limit their flight capacities in order to hike ticket prices. In January 2018 Southwest agreed to pay a $15 million settlement, while American agreed to pay $45 million five months later. However, as part of the settlements neither airline admitted to committed any wrongdoing. The email encouraged recipients to visit the website domesticairclass.com, asserting that it could help consumers who traveled on Southwest or American see if they were eligible to receive payments as part of the settlement. However, it also cautioned that: The site is registered to Rust Consulting, a Minnesota company hired by the federal government to distribute settlement checks that has been the subject of several complaints on both the Better Business Bureau's web site and the Ripoff Report website. In November 2013, the consulting firm drew negative attention after WDAF-TV reported that they failed to follow through on a promised $300 settlement check over a wrongful foreclosure settlement. The recipient, Bonnie Lewis, was told that despite receiving a letter saying she would get the money, she could not collect because her name was not on her home's mortgage: After WDAF's story aired, a public relations company contacted the station saying that Rust Consulting was was looking into the problems with Lewis' check and promised to resolve them. We contacted Rust Consulting seeking more information but did not receive a response prior to publication. But given that the settlement website advises prospective claimants that they may not receive cash (or anything at all), we are are rating this claim as a Mixture even though the airlines' settlement agreement is legitimate. (en)
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