The Trading Standards Institute and others denounce the unfair trade practices of certain budget airlines and travel companies.
A report by the West Sussex County Council Trading Standards that consumers are being 'taken for a ride' by travel companies and budget airlines has been made public.
The report says that when these agencies advertise deals on the Internet they make the prices look appealing by not including compulsory extras such as high fuel additions which are added on later.
In its investigations of on-line bookings last week it had found incidents of travel and holiday providers advertising offers that seemed too good to be true and usually wound up that way. What were advertised as apparently affordable flights and holidays were eventually increased in rates once certain extras are added.
For instance a holiday in Benidorm was advertised at 49 pounds per person for a week but ultimately added up to an average of 133 pounds per person or 266 pounds for two adults once all the compulsory extra charges such as a fuel supplement of 25 pounds per head was added.
A self catering holiday from Birmingham to Lanzarote that had been advertised at the rate of 84 pounds per person ended up totaling 392 pounds for two people. Here again, the extras included fuel supplements, this time of 40 pounds per head.
A return flight from Heathrow to Brussels that had been offered for 95 pounds wound up costing 298 pounds once the compulsory extras of 408 pounds were added.
A County Council Cabinet Member for Public Protection, Lionel Barnard, appreciated the observations and was convinced that efforts in putting paid to the ambiguous and confusing concoction would be welcomed.
Remarking on how consumers are being tempted to take these holidays and flights, and being unwittingly overcharged for them, he added that they are using simple terms such as ' from' to mislead the public and then consider themselves justified for the 'add ons'.
The lead- officer at the Trading Standards Institute(TSI), Bruce Teloar, requested that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) make such errant companies answerable for these practices.
Adding that although consumers have more travel options than ever before
they are being disappointed by such agencies.
He suggested that stabilizing fuel prices should result in travel agents lowering their prices rather than increasing them.
