EU Parliament outlaws £1 air fares

Airlines will be prevented from advertising their flights as costing only £1 after the European Parliament ratified legislation meaning all displayed fares must include all unavoidable taxes, fees and charges.

EU Regulations due to come into force by the end of the year are targeted at online lost-cost operators who often insist on booking solely online. The European Commission found that up to a third of passengers had been misled over airfares they had bought over the Internet.

In addition to a requirement to display the true, inclusive, price of all fare, the Regulations also stipulate that all security taxes levied by national governments will have to be highlighted separately. MEP Brian Simpson says: “Apart from flight delays, the most complaints that I receive against airlines concern the way that they lure people with what appear to be low fares and conveniently tell them the true cost only at the very end of the process. Low fare airlines have perfected this art over recent years.”

He continues: “This transparency has to be a good thing, and I hope it will end what has been over recent years an exercise in deceit by some airlines which try to con the travelling public into believing they are buying a very cheap ticket when the opposite is true.”