Low Cost Carriers Given Extra Time to Comply with OFT Regulations

Posted on 13 August 2007

Low cost carriers Ryanair and Aer Lingus have been given extra time to comply with new pricing regulations set by the Office of Fair Trading. The new regulations mean that airlines and other travel providers must show all taxes and fixed non-optional charges in their online pricing.

All travel providers are currently required to comply with the OFT regulations, but Ryanair and Aer Lingus have been given extra time to do so, owing to technical difficulties rolling out the changes across their websites. It is believed that the airlines will make the changes "shortly".

The practice of displaying the full cost of flights, including taxes and fixed charges only once the booking stage has been reached has been widespread in the last few years, as travel providers sought to gain an advantage in an increasingly competitive market. The practice has long been criticised by consumers as misleading, since the extra charges are not optional.

ABTA, the travel industry's regulatory body, has agreed to police its members to ensure compliance with the OFT regulations and can deliver fines of up to £5000 to companies not in compliance.

According to the Office of Fair Trading, EasyJet, bmibaby, Flybe, Thomsonfly, Flythomascook, Monarch, Jet2, Globespan, Wizz Air, SkyEurope Airlines and Germanwings have all modified their websites to meet the regulations.