EC scolds airlines for misleading on fares

Thursday, 15 May, 2009 0

The European Commission has publicly reprimanded Emirates, Turkish Airlines , Royal Air Maroc and six other airlines for persistently misleading customers on their websites.

Another group, including British Airways, Air France/KLM, Germanwings, Niki and Sky Europe, are holding talks with the Commission to improve the accuracy of their websites.

A failure to properly warn passengers about fuel surcharges appears to be the main failing.

The Commission’s "black list", which also includes the likes of Aeroflot, Northwest and Olympic, emerged from an 18-month crackdown on misleading adverts and unfair practices reported on 137 airline websites in 15 European Union countries plus Norway.

Many of the complaints refer to deceptive "headline" prices, which disguise hidden extra costs.

To comply with EU consumer protection rules, websites were judged according to a 14-point checklist, which asked if all such extras such as taxes, charges and fees were included, and if extra costs were added as opt-in or opt-out options.

While 115 of the offending websites have since agreed to comply with EU rules, the nine airlines either ignored or responded inadequately to complaints, said consumer protection commissioner Meglena Kuneva.

"This a signal that they do not care about their customers," Kuneva said.

However, officials pointed to the fact that the vast majority of airlines – 52 out of 67 – have either been given a "clean bill of health", or have promptly committed themselves to addressing the issues raised.

That list now includes previous offenders such as low-cost carrier Ryanair and Austrian Airlines.

"This first pan-European enforcement investigation has shown it has real teeth and can deliver," Kuneva said.

Media reports said the European Commission, which launched its investigation in September 2007, has given persistent offenders until July to remedy the situation or face the wrath of national regulators.

by Ian Jarrett

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