European Commission and the air ticket prices

[airazurxtror]

Jacques Barrot, European Commissioner in charge of Transport, wants to compel the airlines to give the true price of their tickets, i.e. including the various and unavoidable taxes, charges and surcharges.
Ryanair has already reacted, and welcomes the proposed move:
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news.php ... -en-180706
Jacques Barrot also wants to erase the differences of price between members of the European Union; for instance, for the same ticket, Austrian citizens cannot enjoy the same price as the neighbouring German citizens.
No panic for the carriers : this could not be enforced before more than one year from now...

[sn26567]

Ryanair and welcomes the proposed move.

Then why don't they implement the proposed rule?

[ag894]

This is excellent news. I already complained some time ago on the "tricks" with taxes and surcharges.

Finally we will get the actual price from getting from point A to B without the need to know the tax structure of the airline or their costs in security, fuel, etc.

I am sure everyone has suffered cases where the final price was 3, 4, 5,... or even 20 times the announced price.

[earthman]

Ryanair and welcomes the proposed move.

Then why don't they implement the proposed rule?

Because nobody wants to be the only one advertising with full prices, while everybody else only advertises with the bare ticket price.

[sn26567]

Ryanair and welcomes the proposed move.

Then why don't they implement the proposed rule?

Because nobody wants to be the only one advertising with full prices, while everybody else only advertises with the bare ticket price.

Others do it: On JetairFly.com and on Thomas Cook Airlines, you get directly the final cost! And, if I am correct, also on flySN.com.

[earthman]

I think the point is that Ryanair is glad others will have to do it. Once everybody does it, and Ryanair has been ordered to do it by at least twelve different courts in each country, then they will also do it themselves.

[airazurxtror]

Ryanair advertises the prices including taxes when it is mandatory : see the home pages in French, Dutch, German, ...
But not where nobody does it : see the home pages in English, Italian, Spanish...
When looking for a flight, I agree you'll first have the price without taxes - but a bit later in the process, you get full knowledge of the price to pay, before making - or not making - the booking final.

[LX-LGX]

The Belgian consumer is well protected by a Belgian trade law from 1991:

- every price must be advised in written, clearly explained, well visible and without possible doubt;

- everything the consumer has to pay, must be included in the price that is being announced.


See Articles 2 and 3 of that law (sorry, only available in Dutch and French and German):

main site:
http://mineco.fgov.be/protection_consum ... ome_nl.htm

Law - text in Dutch
http://mineco.fgov.be/protection_consum ... nl_001.pdf

Law - text in French:
http://mineco.fgov.be/protection_consum ... fr_001.pdf

same, for our German speaking friends:
http://mineco.fgov.be/protection_consum ... en_001.htm


Back in 1991, airport taxes were very low, and it was allowed to sell tickets excluding airport taxes. If somebody has a history of the APT at BRU, it would be nice to find out.

Some airlines (and in particular the low costs) disregard this Belgian law, but Inspection Economic Affairs has declared war to them.

SN Brussels Airlines is respecting the above law.

[airazurxtror]

Every airline tries to show the prices at its advantage.
SNBA is no exception.
To see, I have just tried to book an SNBA flight at random, say a Brussels - Bologna on 27/8; at first, I am shown a price of 35 euros "summer promotion". Excellent !
But on the following page, the price has been upped at 78,44 euros (more than twice the "original price") as there have been added "taxes" of 38,44 euros and "fees" of 5 euros.
Not so very different from what Ryanair does...