DOJ nabs guilt pleas from 5 more airlines nets $504 million

Nearly doubling the fines it had levied on bad airline behaviour in coluding on cargo rates earlier this decade, the US DOJ announced that 5 more airlines have now copped a plea.

In this latest round AF-KL Group comes out as the bad guys. Of the 5 airlines named and shamed (and fined) they paid the lion's share of the fines $350 Million for Air France, KLM and Martinair. The balance of the fines came from 2 other airlines - Cathay Pacific and SAS.

The airlines also agreed to cooperate with the DoJ which would indicate that there are more guilty parties waiting to be caught and fined. Whether one of them will end up in jail like the Qantas man remains to be seen. For sure there is likely to be some civil suits filed once the criminal cases are all done.

So the US Government was funding part of today's fight in Iraq courtesy of some foreign airlines. I am sure there is a moral in here somewhere.

Cheers

Timothy