Thai Airways fined $7.5m for price-fixing AAP
(Najamuddin Ghanghro, Karachi(original from Larkana))
I have been using Thai airline
for travling Australia and I found it's service not bad. Here it's a news about
this airlines. Keep it reading and comments if U want to..
Thai Airways has admitted to engaging in price-fixing in a global air freight
cartel and has been fined $7.5 million in the Federal Court.
The airline, which was one of several pursued by the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission (ACCC), settled its case and admitted to reaching
understandings with other airlines about certain charges for fuel, security and
customs between 2001 and 2005.
Qantas, Malaysia Airlines, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Air Cargo and
Korean Air Lines have previously been fined for their parts in the price-fixing
agreement.
In a judgment handed down last Friday, Justice Anna Katzmann found Thai Airways
had engaged in serious contraventions.
"This was deliberate, systematic conduct involving senior staff at the Thai
station in Indonesia," the judge said.
"For the understandings to be effective, they required the participation of all
players in the market, including Thai."
The airline admitted to reaching understandings on a fuel surcharge from October
2001 to October 2005, a security surcharge during the same period, and a customs
fee from May 2004 to October 2005 on air freight from Indonesia to several
countries, including Australia.
It agreed to pay a $7 million fine, $500,000 towards the ACCC's costs and to
refrain from engaging in similar conduct for five years.
The ACCC agreed to allow Thai Airways to pay its fine in instalments, due to the
airline's ongoing financial problems.