SQ, CX to settle fuel saga

While not admitting any obligation to pay, both carriers have opted against prolonging the already lengthy and costly court battle that has dragged on for more than five years and have agreed to settle.

It leaves only Air New Zealand still fighting the class action.

Notices inviting travel agents to lodge claims against Singapore and Cathay will appear in Monday’s Travel Today. They have until 4pm on March 19 to register their “intention to participate in the settlement”.

Retailers who were party to the International Air Transport Association passenger sales agreement between May 11 2004 and December 15 2006 and sold published fares for both carriers between those dates are eligible to lodge a claim.

Terms of the settlement, which have been agreed by both parties, are subject to a court approval at a hearing on March 29, regarded as a formality.

After that date, individual payments will be nutted out.

Cathay Pacific said in a statement to Travel Today that it has proposed a “voluntary settlement”.

“[The] settlement decision is on a without admission of liability basis and was based on commercial considerations in Australia,” the carrier said. “The settlement is only applicable to Cathay Pacific published fares sold in Australia and does not apply to any other jurisdictions and markets in which Cathay Pacific operates.”

Singapore Airlines would only say that the resolution process agreed is subject to a court ordered process. “It would not be appropriate for Singapore Airlines to comment further,” it said.