ANA settles in U.S. price-fixing probe

ANA settles in U.S. price-fixing probe    Japan’s All Nippon Airways Co. has joined a growing list of airlines to settle with the U.S. Justice Department in an investigation of price-fixing from 2000 to 2006, international news agencies reported this week.
   The airline admitted it conspired to fix prices and will pay a $73 million criminal fine, the Justice Department said Monday. A press release said All Nippon agreed to plead guilty for its role in two separate conspiracies to fix prices in the air transportation industry. All Nippon is charged with engaging in a conspiracy to fix one or more components of cargo rates charged for international air cargo shipments from April 1, 2000, to Feb. 14, 2006, and conspiring to fix unpublished passenger fares on tickets purchased in the United States from April 1, 2000, to April 1, 2004.
   That brings to 19 the number of airlines charged in the price-fixing investigation, with more than $1.6 billion in criminal fines collected. Four executives have been sentenced to prison and charges are being pursued against 10 other executives, the Justice Department said.