The Department of Transport is considering an immediate ban on airlines advertising rock-bottom fares without including airport taxes and luggage surcharges, according to the Oireachtas European Affairs Committee.
New EU legislation is expected to come into force in late 2007 governing the advertising of airline fares and other aviation issues.
But at a meeting yesterday, Bernard Allen, deputy of the Oireachtas European Affairs Committee, urged the DfT to introduce the requirements immediately instead of waiting for the EU regulations to come into play.
Allen said department officials promised to consider this request and get back to the Committee as soon as possible.
“This is good news for passengers” said Allen. “People are travelling more and more by air and they are frequently shocked by finding that the real fare is a multiple of what is advertised. The sooner the Department acts on this kind of misleading advertising the better so that passengers in future know where they stand.”
The Oireachtas European Affairs Committee’s role is to monitor and debate activities of the EU and their impact on Ireland.
By Bev Fearis
