The Traveller's Magazine
The European Commissioner for Transport, Siim Kallas, wants once in for all that all low cost airlines be required to show all-inclusive prices instead of tender prices which exclude additional fees and taxes.
The warning from the European Commission is unofficially aimed at the Irish airline, Ryanair, which advertises all of its flight with attractive prices. These prices though do not include administrative fees, £2 fee added in April to off-set the ash-cloud cancellations of 2010, other taxes and fees depending on the destination, the cost of paying by credit card and a mandatory £6 fee for checking-in online.
Nothing is ever as it appears with Ryanair. A one-way flight from London-Stockholm is advertised for £12 on their homepage but by the time you reach check-out, even if you opt out of all the extras like travel insurance, priority boarding, etc. the total is more than £20, almost double.
Siim Kallas is advocating for full price transparency so that consumers don’t feel cheated. Although this mainly concerns Ryanair, all airlines will have to follow suit. Apart from price transparency, airlines could also be banned from charging passengers extra to check-in online, carry luggage and even pay by credit card.
Until then, know that when you compare flight prices on liligo.com, the prices shown include all applicable taxes and fees for low cost airlines so there aren’t any surprises when you reach check-out. What you see is what you pay.
