EU bans misleading cheap flight ads

EU%20flagAirlines will be allowed to advertise only the full price of air tickets, the European Parliament has ruled. The move bans airlines from advertising fares that do not include all costs. 

The new regulation is expected to come into force later this year and will aim to end misleading promotions in which cheap fares are highlighted, leaving out other additional costs which travellers must pay. 

Under the new regulations, all carriers will in the future have to provide the general public with comprehensive information about their air fares. This means that passengers will have be given information about the total fares including airport charges and fuel surcharges. 

The European Parliament did not vote for the proposal as MEPs had proposed no amendment since the proposal passed its first reading in the Parliament. 

The new rules follow a crusade by the European Commission which warned two months ago that one in three European consumers were still being misled when buying plane tickets.