Deutsche Bahn has reached an out-of-court settlement with three airlines it sued for a price-fixing cartel in the United States that it said caused damage to its freight business between 1999 and 2006, the German railways said. Gerd Becht, a member of Deutsche Bahn's managing board, said in a statement a settlement had been reached with Cargolux Airlines International, Scandinavia's SAS and Japan's Nippon Cargo Airlines. It is still pursuing a suit against Air France-KLM Qantas Airways and All Nippon Airways. Deutsche Bahn had sought a total $370 million in damages from all six. Sources close to the negotiations told Reuters the settlement amount from Cargolux, SAS and Nippon Cargo Airlines was less than $100 million. "We're in a position to drop the suit against several of the airlines," said Becht. "We will pursue with all determination our claims against the other airlines." The price fixing was first exposed seven years ago and triggered fines of 800 million euros ($894 million) in the European Union in 2010 and a fine of $1.5 billion in the United States. Victims of the cartel can sue separately for compensation. The lawsuits concern airlines flying to and from the United States, as well as within the country. (Reuters)