Korean Air Skypass - Korean Air Passenger Antitrust Litigation

I received the following email.

Does anyone have knowledge about this?


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From: Korean Air Passenger Antitrust Litigation <KoreanAirPassengerCases@vertismail.com>
Subject: Important Notice About Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines
Date: Friday, March 11, 2011


If You Purchased a Ticket in the U.S. on Korean Air Lines or Asiana Airlines
A Class Action Settlement May Affect Your Rights

There is a proposed Settlement with Asiana Airlines, Inc. (“Asiana”) involving an alleged conspiracy by Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (“Korean Air”) and Asiana (“Defendants”) to fix prices for air passenger travel between the U.S. and the Republic of Korea (“Korea”). The Defendants deny the claims in this lawsuit.

Am I a Member of the Class? The Class includes individuals and businesses (including travel agents and corporations) who bought at least one ticket for passenger air travel on Asiana or Korean Air. The purchase must have been in the United States, for a flight originating in the United States and ending in Korea or a flight originating in Korea and ending in the United States, with the purchase date between January 1, 2000 and August 1, 2007.

What Does the Settlement
Provide? Asiana has agreed to pay $11,000,000 in cash, $10,000,000 in travel vouchers, and up to $60,000 in notice and administration costs. Your benefits will be based on the total dollar amount of the tickets you purchased as well as on the number of valid claims that are filed.

How to Get Benefits? You will need to submit a claim to ask for benefits. Benefits will be distributed at the end of the litigation. You should save the records of your purchases and check the website below to receive a claim form when they become available.

Your Other Rights. If you do not want to be legally bound by the Settlement, you must exclude yourself in writing from the Class. The deadline to exclude yourself is May 16, 2011. If you stay in the Class you will not be able to sue Asiana for any claims relating to the Settlement. If you stay
in the Class, you may object or comment on the Settlement by May 16, 2011. The detailed Class Notice, available below, explains how to exclude yourself from the Class or object to the Settlement.

The Court will hold a hearing on June 27, 2011, at 1:30 p.m. to consider whether to approve the Settlement. It will also consider whether costs and expenses will be reimbursed to Class Counsel and whether certain amounts will be set aside for ongoing litigation costs and expenses. Class Counsel are not seeking attorneys’ fees from the Settlement Fund at this time. You or your own lawyer may ask to appear and speak at the hearing at your own cost.

To view the Class Notice and for more information: www.KoreanAirPassengerCases.com or call
1-888-261-1921.

Sincerely,

Korean Air Passenger Antitrust Litigation Administrator

There was also a thread started in the OZ forum, but not much activity there yet:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asiana-club/1193535-oz-ke-price-fixing-class-action-suit.html

Yup it seems real. I just posted also in the OZ forum, but search "airline price fixing" in Google news and you should find out what happened.

Hi, new user here. I received the same email, as well as another family member. I did some quick searches, my results are below. I think it's legit, but I'll call the hotline on Monday as well to try to talk to someone.


0) The case itself is real, as others have mentioned. Google for "korean air price fixing" and you'll see stories pop up, all very recent.

1) I called the number listed (888-261-1921). There is a recording saying something to the effect of, "thank you for calling the hotline for the korean air passenger antitrust litigation. Our office is currently closed. Our normal hours are..."

2) The owner of "koreanairpassengercases.com" is:



Administrative Contact , Technical Contact :
Rust Consulting, Inc.
clausm@rustconsulting.com
625 MARQUETTE AVE STE 880
MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55402
US
Phone: 612-359-2000

Record expires on 01-Mar-2013
Record created on 01-Mar-2011
Database last updated on 01-Mar-2011


3) I went to www.rustconsulting.com. The web site is for a company that seems to process the paperwork associated with things like class action lawsuits, sending out notices, processing payments.

http://www.rustconsulting.com/About_Rust/General_FAQ.aspx


4) I also googled for "www.koreanairpassengercases.com" and there are several mentions, but mostly here on flyertalk.

5) I googled for "rust consulting korean air" and there is also one reference on FlyerTalk about another airline-related class action lawsuit.

6) I googled "rust consulting" and it is listed in the Better Business Bureau with an "A" rating. There is also a linkedin profile which says the following.

http://www.linkedin.com/company/rust-consulting
http://www.bbb.org/minnesota/business-reviews/attorneys/rust-consulting-in-minneapolis-mn-11002239

As the national leader in class action settlement administration, clients trust Rust to bring experience, expertise and proven excellence to settlement administration.

Our unmatched practice area experience includes best-in-class innovations in class action settlement administration and more case experience than any other administrator.

Settlements from large to small benefit from Rust’s proactive approach, dedicated client service team, and overall excellence in service and delivery.

Rust consults with clients and provides services in complex areas requiring specialized systems and expertise, including class data management, legal notification, call center, claims processing, and award distributions.

More Experience than Any Other Administrator
Rust has provided claims administration services for over 2,500 class action settlements and distributed billions of dollars in settlement assets.
Specialties

Pre-Settlement Consultation, Proactive Client Service, Class Data Management, Legal Notification

7) I checked the mail headers for the message and it's sent from a "vertismail.com." I tried googling that but very little shows up. The domain owner is private. But it appears they send out messages on behalf of large companies, and I found a reference to an Apple laptop recall sent from vertismail.com (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1526513). It's potentially confusing to read, because the original topic is about someone who lost their credit card and got a suspicious email, but if you read further down, there's a post about a macbook recall which appears to be legit.



So at this point, I'm thinking this leans towards the legit side. I guess this is a situation where a letter sent via postal mail would have been a good thing.


I'm hoping others can chime in here, if they've actually spoken to someone from the hotline, etc.

Article that was posted today:

http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/settlements/15576/koreanairpassengercases-asiana-air-korean.html

Asiana Air and Korean Air Reach Potential Settlement in Price Fixing Class Action
Washington, DC: A proposed settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit for air travelers who flew to and from Korea. Individuals who bought plane tickets in the United States from Asiana Airlines, Inc. ("Asiana") and Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. ("Korean Air") for air travel between the U.S. and the Republic of Korea between January 1, 2000 and August 1, 2007 could be affected by the case. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

The Settlement resolves claims arising from Asiana and Korean Air's ("Defendants") conspiracy to unlawfully increase the cost of passenger airfares and the fuel surcharge element of ticket prices. Asiana pleaded guilty in the U.S. to fixing passenger fares charged on flights from the United States to Korea. Asiana has agreed to pay $11 million in cash, $10 million in travel vouchers, and up to $60,000 in notice and administration costs.

Individual passengers and businesses that bought an Asiana and/or Korean Air ticket from January 1, 2000 to August 1, 2007 should be entitled to cash benefits and/or travel vouchers. The ticket(s) must have been purchased in the U.S. for a flight originating in the U.S. and ending in Korea, or a flight originating in Korea and ending in the U.S. Cash benefits and travel vouchers are not available yet, but potential Class Members are encouraged to save records of their purchases and check the website, KoreanAirPassengerCases.com, for information on how to receive a claim form once they become available.

Class Members have a choice of whether or not to stay in the Class. If Class Members choose to stay in the Class, they will be legally bound by all orders and judgments of the Court, and they will not be able to sue, or continue to sue, the Defendants for the issues involved in this lawsuit. To stay in the Class, Class Members do not have to do anything now. Class Members who choose to stay in the Class may object to or comment on the Settlement, and must do so by May 16, 2011.

Class Members that do not wish to be included in the Settlement can ask to be excluded from the Class. They will not get any money or benefits from this lawsuit, but they will keep any rights to sue the Defendants for these claims, now or in the future, and will not be bound by any orders or judgments of the Court. Class Members must exclude themselves in writing by May 16, 2011.

For more information regarding this lawsuit and Class Member rights, including how Class Members can exclude themselves and how to get a copy of a detailed notice, visit KoreanAirPassengerCases.com, call 1-888-261-1921, or write to: Korean Air Passenger Antitrust litigation, P.O. Box 24720, West Palm Beach, FL 33416.

MAR-15-11: Asiana Airlines' and Korean Air Lines' Passengers Could be Affected by a Class Action Lawsuit [PR NEWSWIRE: PRESS RELEASES]