United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Opodo rapped by advertising watchdogs
Online travel agency Opodo has been ordered by advertising watchdogs to include its handling fee in headline prices following a complaint from a customer.
The complainant challenged whether Opodo’s website was misleading because its initial fare for a return flight from London to Nice did not include the handling fee.
Opodo claimed the fee was not included because it was applied to only a "relatively small proportion of bookings" and it was triggered when the supplier levied a fee for bookings paid for by certain methods.
Opodo claimed the processing cost incurred by Opodo for these bookings was considerably higher than other transactions, forcing it to add a handling fee.
However, the Advertising Standards Authority upheld the complaint because it found that the handling fee was added to every flight booked with a particular airline, regardless of the payment method.
"We therefore considered that the handling fee was unavoidable and as such should have been included in the initial price claim," said the judgment. "Because it was not, we concluded that the website was misleading.
"We told Opodo to include all non-optional fees in their initial price claims."
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Robert Terrell: A Journey Through BB King’s Influence
Rochelle Hicks: Celebrating Mississippi’s Musical Legacy
Exploring Jacksonville with Katie Mitura: The Flip Side of Florida
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Boy falls to death on cruise ship
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel