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Do airline customers have a right to know taxes and fees before buying their ticket?
The above headline appeared as the United States debate over disclosure of all fees and charges.
- “After a long day of negotiations between Senate aides and committee staffers over wording regarding when passengers will get to know what taxes and fees will be added to their airfares, there was no final agreement.” 1
Ontario travel retailers must include by law all fees, taxes, befor the advertisement begins. Travel agencies registered with the Travel Industry Council of Ontario TICO must include full disclosure of all costs covered by the advertisement including but not limited to applicable airport taxes, departure fees, arrival fees, port fees and taxes, fuel supplement fees, provincial and national taxes, applicable service fees, etc. In other words the bottom line must be quoted and not in the fine print on page 57 of the advertisement.
- the Menendez amendment mandates that travelers get to know all applicable taxes and fees before they begin the purchase process.” 2
- “shall establish rules to ensure that all consumers are able to easily and fairly compare airfares and other costs applicable to tickets for air transportation, including all taxes and fees.” 3
Currently, airlines in the U.S. can hide their fees. They are allowed to mislead its consumers until the final stage of purchase. At least one online discounter also denies the customer much knowledge about their flight purchase until after the non refundable price is paid.The Mendendez amendment will end this deception. The U.S. airline lobby is opposed to laws that will make them tell the truth up front.
The best way to insure transparency in airline ticket pricing is what TICO mandates from Ontario travel retailers.
Most veteran travellers are aware of fees involved in travel. They can be quite hefty. Airlines, consolidators and wholesalers can advertise big bold discount prices but have to include disclaimers. So you will still see many misleading headlines that leave lasting impressions on the vacationers subconscious. Ontario residents are subjected to American ads too. $39 flight to Florida doesn’t indicate $130 airport fees. Read beyond the headline.
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