What is this all about?

Last year, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic admitted colluding to fix the prices of fuel surcharges, supplementary fees added to tickets to compensate for rising fuel prices. After an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading and the US Department of Justice, BA was fined £270 million by the OFT and $300 million by the DOJ. Virgin, which blew the whistle, was not punished. Two US law firms then sued on behalf of some 11 million American and British passengers. It settled in February for £100 million and is awaiting formal approval from a court in San Francisco.

Who is eligible to make a claim?

As a result of the settlement, anyone who travelled on a long-haul flight on BA or Virgin Atlantic between August 11, 2004 and March 23, 2006 is automatically entitled to claim a share of the £73.5 million allocated for British passengers. That covers all Virgin flights and most BA flights outside Europe – not only to the US, but to locations including Asia, Africa and South America. A full list of qualifying BA flights is available at www.airpassengerrefund.co.uk. The tickets must have been purchased in the US or UK. Businesses as well as individuals are eligible.

How much can I get back?

British passengers are entitled to a refund of one third of the value of the fuel surcharge on each ticket. That equates to between £4 and £20 for a return ticket and up to £10 for a one-way ticket.

Can I approach the airlines directly for a refund?

No. The refunds are being administered not by the airlines but by an independent mediator.

How do I make a claim?

Claim forms are available at www.airpassengerrefund.co.uk. You can either download the forms and post them to the address provided or, from July 14, submit the claims directly online. To make a claim, you need to provide either the relevant flight number, your frequent flyer number, or the unique number printed on your ticket stub. BA passengers can provide their passport numbers instead.

When will the refunds be paid?

The settlement goes before a judge for formal approval on September 26. If the judge approves it, passengers will begin receiving refunds in October. You have until December 2012 to claim.

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