European Airline Ticket Buyers, Ripped Off or Misled
May 19, 2008
One of every three online airline ticket buyers has had to deal with "breaching rules on clear pricing, availability of offers and clear contract terms" said the European Commission.
The European Commission is halfway finished with it's investigation which has resulted in actions against 137 of 386 web sites monitored in a "sweep" last September. They also say that half of the sites have corrected their sites.
The report showed that over half of the violations were the result of web sites breaking down airline ticket prices to give the impression of cheaper fares without adding charges.
79 online airline ticket sites are still under investigation for advertising misleading prices. 21 for lack of availability of advertised offers, and another 67 for unfair contract terms, total 137 different sites.
If this is going on in Europe, wonder what the status of US travel sites is like. For more information on this investigation visit the EU's Consumer Affairs site.