en | de |    Press releasesStrasbourg 14.11.2007

Consumer protection: Cheating airlines exposed by European Commission

The European Commission today presented the results of an EU-wide investigation revealing the widespread nature of misleading advertising and unfair practises on airline ticket websites in the EU - half of all airlines were found to be culpable. Commenting on the findings, Austrian Green Eva Lichtenberger said:

"The Commission is finally taking action to prevent airlines that try and hoodwink their customers through their websites and this is most welcome. Only once airlines are forced to give clear, unambiguous details about their offers and ticket pricing will consumers truly be able to make an informed choice on how and with whom they fly.

"Hidden costs, the automatic selection of added charges (like insurance) and incomplete information on 'special offers' are some of the most common tools used by some airlines to gazump their customers. The Commission must not only 'name and shame' those airlines that continue to employ these tricks, it must also seek more effective legal recourse to ensure EU consumers are protected."