Air fares “should include all extras"

A passenger watchdog has recommended that airlines should be forced to include all taxes and extra charges when quoting ticket prices. According to The Daily Telegraph, the Air Transport Users’ Council has made the call following the publication of a report showing that additional charges “vary wildly” between carrier. As an example, the newspaper uses the London-to-Amsterdam route, pointing out that British Airways adds £41 in taxes and other charges, compared to just £10 with Easyjet. James Fremantle, the watchdog’s industry adviser, is quoted as saying: “Airlines are stripping away these charges in order to quote the best fare and British Airways is the worst culprit. It is rather misleading. This separating out of charges appears not to be in the best interest of passengers.” A spokesman for BA reportedly countered: “We break down our ticket prices into the fare for the journey and a separate figure for taxes, fees and charges. We build our fares in a similar way to other airlines with which we have agreements. This means that there is clarity in the charging process.” The Air Transport Users’ Council has been in talks with the Office of Fair Trading, which told the Telegraph that it wanted to see “all travel companies, including airlines, to include all non-optional charges such as airport taxes and security levies in the advertised price.” Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd