British Airways executives to face price-fixing charges

The Office of Fair Trading is reportedly preparing to press price-fixing charges against four former and current British Airways executives.

As per the information available, the Office of Fair Trading wants to go to court next month to launch a case that leaves BA's head of sales and three retired sales and commercial executives facing up to five years in prison, say legal sources familiar with the matter. The watchdog has decided to charge the four men over a conspiracy between BA and Virgin Atlantic between 2004 and 2006 to fix the price of passenger fuel surcharges on transatlantic flights.

According to guardian.co.uk, it is understood that individual charges will be brought against Andrew Crawley, BA's head of sales, former marketing director Martin George, the ex-communications head Iain Burns and Alan Burnett, who once ran UK and Ireland sales for the airline. The men were on the list of 10 former and current BA executives identified by the US government as being liable to possible extradition and prosecution over a scandal that has already cost BA £270m in fines.

The report added that anyone acquitted or convicted of price-fixing in Britain cannot be charged with the same offence in the US - lessening the chances of the four being extradited if they are charged by the OFT. Price-fixing carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail under UK law.

UK and US authorities have already fined BA a total of around £270 million over the fuel surcharge offences which took place between August 2004 and January 2006.