Air France-KLM pays millions for alleged mail fraud in US

Airlines KLM and Air France pay US Justice Department $3.9 million to end postal dispute Dutch and French sister companies delivered some airmail overseas for the United States Postal Service (USPS), but allegedly cheated on delivery times.

The agreements, which were finalized in 2009, said airlines would be fined for late or misdirected mail. For verification purposes, the companies were supposed to send electronic scans of mailboxes to the USPS, but the evidence was tampered with, the government agency said.

With a settlement worth millions, KLM and Air France now end their dispute with the USPS. The Ministry of Justice insists that the airlines did not commit any wrongdoing in the contract.

Airlines have already settled seven times for falsifying delivery notes for mail from the US. American airlines Delta Air Lines and United Airlines paid $10.5 million and $49 million, respectively, in similar deals.