Third-party funding is proving popular, although excessive costs are still seen as a barrier. Richard Lloyd reports

The air cargo price-fixing litigation looks promising from a plaintiffs lawyer's perspective. Since US and European antitrust authorities raided the offices of more than a dozen airlines in February 2006, settlements and fines have been racking up.

The US Department of Justice has levied more than $1.6bn (£1bn) in fines against 15 airlines and air cargo companies. In 2006, Deutsche Lufthansa settled claims from a class of US plaintiffs for $85m (£54m). Class actions against other airlines are pending in the US and Australia.