EU forces airlines to come clean on pricing

9.32.49am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 20th Jul 2006

London's Liberal Democrat Euro-MP Baroness Sarah Ludford has welcomed the European Commission's clamp down on airlines' misleading ticket pricing.

As part of its broader reform of aviation law, the Commission yesterday put forward a draft Regulation which makes it illegal for airlines to advertise low fares but later add extra costs such as airport charges and fuel surcharges.

Sarah Ludford commented:

"This is a great example of the EU putting individuals before big business by forcing airlines to come clean about charges. It is outrageous that they have been allowed to mislead travellers for so long."

"It is important that people understand what they are paying for. This may also encourage big airports like Heathrow to think twice before upping their charges."

"I am delighted to hear that the Commission also intends to look into price transparency across Europe. It is unacceptable that prices for the same flight can differ depending on your country of residence."

"It is about time that what you see is what you get when shopping for air tickets."

Notes:

The draft EU Regulation will be passed under the codecision procedure involving both European Parliament and the Council. The Regulation should enter into force in approximately one year's time.