CockneyMafia Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Can anyone explain to me how airline companies can get away with advertising flights as 'free' or for '1p', when in reality the flight actually costs nearer £40-£50 once taxes, fees and charges have been added. Presumably it is not possible to opt out of paying these taxes, so why publish such an arbitrary and frankly disingenuous figure? I also can't think of many (or indeed any) other examples of where this happens. Also, it seems to me that this ads fall foul of the OFT guidelines on misleading advertising. You can’t walk down an escalator on the tube without seeing an Easyjet poster saying "fly to Nice for £6". It would take a person with a lot more time and vigilance to read the tiny smallprint at the bottom saying "price not inclusive of taxes,charges, fees and fresh air". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xchubbs1987x Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 I always thought these prices and offers looked too good to be true, now i know why! Edit: Answer to your question.. I can't explain how they can get away with advertising flights for that but i don't think they should be able to get away with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv_milk Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 i thought the OFT had just sorted this out? as far as i'm aware, airlines now have to advertise the prices of flights including all the taxes etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Moomin Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 They can't advertise inclusive of taxes unless it is for a specific flight, e.g. Doncaster to Nice, as taxes vary at different airports. I agree that it can be misleading, but once you've gone to the website, seen the actual price you know... and its not like you can buy the flight for 1p and then find you have to pay more once you get to the airport or anything, its all there laid out when you buy them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenH Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 I think it is time this was illegal in the same way as it is illegal for shops which sell to consumers to advertise their pricing without VAT. It isn't the only element that needs to be changed. Let's say you pay 1p for a flight but then have £24.99 in taxes and charges making a total, real, price of £25. If you then miss your flight and take another flight they will charge you again. Since some of these charges are passenger taxes, they are charging you two lots of passenger taxes for flying only once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Moomin Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 You are right about the double paying of taxes, that is wrong, or at least I would like to see justification of it. However they CANNOT advertise all prices inclusive as the rate of tax is different at different airports. What the do, is to say Flights to Alicante From 1p! From UK airports, not including taxes. Like anything, the information is there, they are not hiding it and you can't buy the flight without be aware of it. Why should we have yet more legislation to stop people from being stupid and actually reading about what they are purchasing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CockneyMafia Posted September 19, 2006 Author Share Posted September 19, 2006 You are right about the double paying of taxes, that is wrong, or at least I would like to see justification of it. However they CANNOT advertise all prices inclusive as the rate of tax is different at different airports. What the do, is to say Flights to Alicante From 1p! From UK airports, not including taxes. Like anything, the information is there, they are not hiding it and you can't buy the flight without be aware of it. Why should we have yet more legislation to stop people from being stupid and actually reading about what they are purchasing! I see where you are coming from, but.... If they are advertising a flight to Nice, and it costs £25 all inclusive, then that is the price it should be advertised at. And if they are advertisng a flight to blackpool, and it costs £18 all inclusive, then that is the price it should be advertised at. They clearly know all the various costs in advance for each airport / destination, so they should be advertised as such. At worst, they should say "flights from x price" As you say, one cannot book the flight without seeing/paying these additional charges at some point. But to me, that simply isnt the point (and has nothing to with 'stupidity' as you claim it does) Imagine if you had seen the advert for a flight to Italy for £6, got excited and then told all your partner you were planning a visit to see him or her on the back of it. Imagine how bad you would then feel if that actual cost turned out to be £70 each and you couldnt afford to go. Imagine if the railways operated in the sameway? Or online shops? Yes, you would eventually end up reading the smallprint at somepoint, but that doesnt account for the time you have wasted on their product in the first place or the fact you have been led down the garden path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenH Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 However they CANNOT advertise all prices inclusive as the rate of tax is different at different airports. Even if this was the case then some flights to Nice might cost £20 and other £25. This should mean that they should advertise as "Flights from £20", whereas they actually advertise as "Flights from 1p". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgksheff Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 You will find that there is a difference between permissible advertising, by these arlines, in UK and mainland Europe. Ryanair's UK site front pages list sample flights at the prices without taxes etc. Their pages for other European countries show those sample flights at the total cost (including taxes etc.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamo Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Budget airlines are offering flights to all sorts of places across Europe for just the price of the taxes and people are complaining?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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