Fuel surcharge settlement

The Florida Attorney General has finally reached a $40 million settlement with the six cruise lines owned by Carnival Corporation over retroactive fuel surcharges the cruise lines imposed on passengers last autumn.

Under the settlement, Carnival has agreed to reimburse passengers who had already booked their cruises when the company announced the fuel surcharges on 7th November 2007. The settlement will affect more than 1.1 million passenger bookings with Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard and Seabourn.

Passengers whose cruises depart on or by April 4th will receive refunds, while those departing later will get an onboard credit in lieu of refund. The case arose because while Carnival offered passengers the option of cancelling their cruises for a full refund when the surcharge was levied, the Attorney General said this was insufficient as it didn’t allow passengers a full refund on airfares and other arrangements they might have made.