Consumer Law
Court Unlikely to Ground American or Southwest Airlines in Antitrust Settlement Over Distribution Fears
The D.C. Circuit offered little hope Wednesday to travelers worried that airlines will see little actual punishment, or worse wind up benefitting, from the settlement of a massive antitrust suit.
The challenge stems from multidistrict litigation alleging a conspiracy by the country’s leading airlines to limit capacity and drive up the price of flights between 2011 and 2018. In 2018, American Airlines settled the claims against it for $45 million, and Southwest settled for $15 million. Nevertheless, the litigation with Delta and United remains ongoing.
