OFT Rules on Debit Card Charges for Cheap Flights
Cheap flights carrier Monarch Airlines welcomed a ruling today by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), which warned of enforcement action over excessive "surprise" fees for booking flights online with a debit card and asked the government to change the law to abolish such fees altogether.
Monarch recently announced that it was abolishing debit card fees for its bookings. The airline is also cutting the charges incurred when booking on a credit card.
Chief executive Conrad Clifford said: "There is no justification for charging excessive fees on credit and debit cards. We had already taken the decision to cancel debit card fees some time ago following an intensive six-month review."
"Our customers expect an upfront and transparent pricing structure from their airline and it's good to see that in light of this important decision, other airlines will now have to follow our lead. Let us hope they do so without any hand-wringing or prevarication."
The OFT instructed cheap flights carriers and other travel agents to make sure that all debit card charges were obvious and reasonable, after a 90-day probe unearthed "considerable evidence" of "drip pricing" practices by companies offering cheap flights online. "The OFT is currently discussing surcharging practices with a number of passenger travel companies to secure compliance with Consumer Protection Regulations," it said in a statement.
OFT Goods and Consumer Group senior director Cavendish Elithorn went on to say: "We recognise that most traders want to treat their customers fairly. Many already meet the minimum standards we expect under the law and we have secured a clear commitment to change from others. However, we will take enforcement action against any businesses that do not respond to today's announcement and instead continue to use misleading surcharging practices."
Cheap Flights News posted by 
on 28 June 2011
cheap flights, cheap fares, cheap flights to Europe
http://www.monarch.co.uk/news/flights/2011-news/oft-debit-card-charges
http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1148267.php
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