Airlines 'must include debit charges in price', OFT rules
Thursday, 5 July 2012 8:49 AM
Hidden credit card and debit card charges are set to become more transparent when booking flights online, due to a new ruling by the OFT.
12 airlines have agreed to include debit card surcharges in their headline price, rather than surprise consumers at the end of the booking process.
The change comes after the Office of Fair Trading Standards (OFT) ruled that people should not have to incur surcharges to use a debit card online. Debit cards are the online equivalent of cash which means that headline prices should be the price people pay.
Aer Lingus, BMI Baby, Eastern Airways, easyJet, Flybe, German Wings, Jet2, Lufthansa, Ryanair, Thomas Cook, Thomson (TUI) and Wizz Air have all agreed to include their debit charges in the advertised price of flights.
They have also agreed to make credit card surges clear and easy to find when booking online.
Clive Maxwell, the OFT's Chief Executive, said: "This is a great outcome for the millions of people who buy flights online. It is important that the cost presented when they search for a flight is realistic and that they are not surprised by extra charges. Otherwise it is harder for them to shop around for the best deal."
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