All airlines will have to display the full price of air fares on their websites following action by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).
Consumer groups had been concerned that airlines, particularly budget airlines, had been advertising fares for as little as 1p while hiding the extra charges that would be incurred.
Recently the OFT said it would crack down on airlines that were not transparent, saying they were “leading consumers to make the wrong choices” (see related Cheapflights story).
Action was taken against 13 airlines to ensure they comply with a ruling that will apply to any carrier using UK airports. A total of 11 have complied, meaning they have agreed to include all fixed, non-optional charges in the prices displayed.
The airlines are easyJet, bmibaby, Flybe, Thomsonfly, Thomas Cook Airlines, Monarch, Jet2.com, Flyglobespan, Wizz Air, SkyEurope and Germanwings.
Ryanair and Aer Lingus have changed their homepages to comply with the rules but said that they have not been able to change their entire booking processes immediately due to technical issues.
However, the OFT says it is satisfied that the changes will be made shortly and will make sure that they are.
Ryanair will place a “clear statement” on its website in the meantime to inform customers of any extra charges to be included in the final fare.
“The OFT is committed to ensure that consumers are not misled by advertised prices that bear little relation to actual prices,” said OFT executive director Sean Williams.
“Misleading pricing not only undermines consumer confidence but also distorts competition and we will enforce the law enthusiastically where we find that consumers have been misled.”
