Melanie Aitken, the antitrust watchdog’s commissioner of competition, said Korean Air is the seventh carrier the Competition Bureau has fined since it launched its investigation. “The Bureau is committed to pursuing those who engage in anti-competitive behavior that harms Canadian businesses and consumers,” she said in a statement.
So far, the Competition Bureau has levied more than CAD$22.6 million in fines in its ongoing investigation into price fixing. Cargolux, Air France, KLM, Martinair, Qantas and British Airways have all pleaded guilty to the agency’s charges, which resulted in respective fines of CAD$2.5 million, CAD$4 million, CAD$5 million, CAD$1 million, CAD$155,000 and CAD$4.5 million. More carriers await indictment, according to a press release.
The Competition Bureau isn’t the only watchdog organization handing out fines for price fixing. Late last month, the High Court of New Zealand ordered Japan Airlines to pay NZ$2.28 million for its participation in an airfreight cartel. JAL, which has pleaded guilty to conspiring to fix fuel and security surcharges on flights to and from New Zealand, is the fourth carrier to settle with the Commerce Commission since it launched its investigation in December 2008.
In March, British Airways, Cargolux and Qantas Airways agreed to plead guilty to the high court’s charges, with BA and Cargolux fined a total of $NZ7.6 million; Qantas was reportedly slapped with a more than $NZ6 million fee.
The high court is slated to finish bringing its cases against Air New Zealand; Cathay Pacific Airways; Emirates; Korean Air Lines; Malaysian Airlines; Singapore Airlines Cargo, as well as Singapore Airlines; and Thai Airways International in March 2013. It dropped its proceedings against PT Garuda Indonesia, United Airlines and six Air New Zealand executives in April 2011.
Melanie Aitken, the antitrust watchdog’s commissioner of competition, said Korean Air is the seventh carrier the Competition Bureau has fined since it launched its investigation. “The Bureau is committed to pursuing those who engage in anti-competitive behavior that harms Canadian businesses and consumers,” she said in a statement.
So far, the Competition Bureau has levied more than CAD$22.6 million in fines in its ongoing investigation into price fixing. Cargolux, Air France, KLM, Martinair, Qantas and British Airways have all pleaded guilty to the agency’s charges, which resulted in respective fines of CAD$2.5 million, CAD$4 million, CAD$5 million, CAD$1 million, CAD$155,000 and CAD$4.5 million. More carriers await indictment, according to a press release.
The Competition Bureau isn’t the only watchdog organization handing out fines for price fixing. Late last month, the High Court of New Zealand ordered Japan Airlines to pay NZ$2.28 million for its participation in an airfreight cartel. JAL, which has pleaded guilty to conspiring to fix fuel and security surcharges on flights to and from New Zealand, is the fourth carrier to settle with the Commerce Commission since it launched its investigation in December 2008.
In March, British Airways, Cargolux and Qantas Airways agreed to plead guilty to the high court’s charges, with BA and Cargolux fined a total of $NZ7.6 million; Qantas was reportedly slapped with a more than $NZ6 million fee.
The high court is slated to finish bringing its cases against Air New Zealand; Cathay Pacific Airways; Emirates; Korean Air Lines; Malaysian Airlines; Singapore Airlines Cargo, as well as Singapore Airlines; and Thai Airways International in March 2013. It dropped its proceedings against PT Garuda Indonesia, United Airlines and six Air New Zealand executives in April 2011.