Websites 'Rip Off' Air Passengers
Posted on: Saturday, 10 May 2008, 00:00 CDT
One third of customers buying plane tickets online in Europe are being ripped off or misled, the European Commission warned.
A report revealed 'serious and persistent' consumer problems involving hundreds of ticket-selling websites throughout the airline industry.
The Commission is halfway through an investigation which has so far triggered action against 137 out of 386 websites checked in a 'sweep' search last September, when national authorities scanned airline and travel agency websites for misleading advertising. One in three - 137 out of 386 sites monitored - contained information breaching rules on clear pricing, availability of offers and clear contract terms.
The report says that, seven months later, about 50 per cent of those sites have corrected their website information.
The 'sweep' search of websites involved 13 countries, but did not include Britain, which had already conducted its own trawl of airline ticket websites in February 2007.
Last August Britain's Office of Fair Trading Office took action against 13 airlines that did not include all fixed, 'non-optional' costs, such as taxes, in prices on their websites.
(c) 2008 Yorkshire Post. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Yorkshire Post
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