Frequent Flyer Bonus

Just when airline passengers were beginning to miss those great fare-war bargains, they learned that they are about to collect $400 million more in benefits from American, United, Delta and USAir. The four carriers agreed to pay the money out in the form of consumer discounts to settle their part of one of the largest class-action lawsuits in history. Along with several other airlines, some of which are now bankrupt or have discontinued operations, they had been charged with price fixing.

The suit accused the airlines of using a code on computerized reservations systems to signal when prices were going up or down. The airlines denied any wrongdoing. As part of last week's settlement, though, the four agreed to provide $368.5 million worth of discounts to passengers who can prove they purchased a ticket on one of the four carriers and flew through any of 34 principal U.S. airports between Jan. 1, 1988, and June 30, 1992. If the settlement is approved by a federal court in Atlanta later this year, vouchers usable for discounts of up to 10% on most future flights will be distributed.