ABTA attacks airlines over pricing
ABTA has attacked airlines for not displaying all-inclusive prices, following the decision by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic to levy a fuel surcharge on their customers.
BA recently announced it was raising its surcharge from £5 to £12 per return flight on all new bookings, in response to the continuing rise in the price of oil. Virgin Atlantic followed suit.
But ABTA, which is backing Trading Standards Institute’s plan to make airlines display all-inclusive prices, said airlines were not competing on a level playing field with tour operators.
“It is time airlines realised you can’t hide prices the customer has to pay,” said ABTA spokesman Keith Betton.
“Our members are not allowed to show basic prices plus extras but it is hard to convince operators to be the good guys when airlines are behaving differently.”
Meanwhile, Kuoni and Bales have said they will absorb the fuel charges, partly because they have made gains by paying for hotels and services in local currencies, such as the US dollar and Thai bath, which have weakened against the pound.
Holidaymakers booking multi-destination holidays, which often involve seven or eight flights, could face surcharges of £25 or £30 a head on trips booked directly through an airline. Surcharges on most major airlines start at £2.50 per flight.
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