Budget airline add-on fees
When it comes to budget airlines, Ryanair is the traditional whipping boy. People love to hate Ryanair, and automatically assume that it is the worst airline for underhand practices and add-on fees.
The truth, however, is that Ryanair has largely eliminated many of its naughtiest habits. Yes, it charges a fortune to check in bags, get a boarding pass at the airport or pay with anything other than an obscure prepaid Mastercard, but at least the website does things the right way. You have to opt in for any additional extras rather than opt out, and prices are quoted with taxes and charges inclusive.
Flybe web booking system
Fellow budget airline Flybe, alas, is merrily engaging in practices that Ryanair can no longer get away with. Recently, I had the ‘pleasure’ of booking flights with Flybe, and came across all manner of dirty tricks. These are detailed in full, with screenshots, here.
Opt outs and non-inclusive pricing
To summarise, however, Flybe quoted without taxes and charges inclusive – these were only added when a particular flight was selected. Flybe also assumed that passengers would be travelling with a 20kg bag – I actively had to opt out of this to avoid the £9.99 surcharge. After this, I was left hunting for the option to remove the preselected seat. The method of doing this – and avoiding the £6 preselected seat charge – is extremely (deliberately?) unclear.
Flybe’s ‘complete transparency’
That Flybe gets such an easy ride over this is incredible. The shameless contempt for the customer shines through, despite a laughable and oft-repeated statement on the site saying: “Flybe is committed to complete transparency regarding how we charge for our flights.”
Legal questions
Flybe’s booking process is undoubtedly cynical and aimed at squeezing as much money out of non-web savvy customers as possible. But, more interestingly, is it legal? Let’s have a look at the European Union Air Service Regulations, shall we?
EU regulations on inclusive pricing
Regulation 1008/2008 of the European Parliament and Council became law in 2008 (full text in PDF format here). Amongst the more salient passages is this one: “Customers should be able to compare effectively the prices for air services of different airlines. Therefore the final price to be paid by the customer for air services originating in the Community should at all times be indicated, inclusive of all taxes, charges and fees.”
EU regulations on opt-out extra charges
And here’s another one: “Optional price supplements shall be communicated in a clear, transparent and unambiguous way at the start of any booking process and their acceptance by the customer shall be on an ‘opt-in’ basis.”
Legal or illegal?
I’m not a lawyer, but something’s not quite right here, is it? Either Flybe has found some fiendish loophole that ensures its website just about complies with the regulations on a technicality, or Flybe is blatantly flouting the law. And if it is somehow within the letter of the law, then it is most certainly miles outside the spirit of it.
Questions for Flybe
At time of publishing, I had contacted Flybe three times to ask for a comment. I am yet to receive a response despite allowing a full working day for a response. I’m still keen to give right of reply – and get to the bottom of why Flybe’s website is as it is. So, if Flybe’s PR team is reading this, perhaps you could answer these questions:
- Is Flybe aware of the law concerning inclusive pricing and opt-out extras?
- If so, can you explain how Flybe’s website complies with it?
- Is it fair comment to say that the Flybe website is designed to be deliberately confusing and push customers into taking optional extras they do not need?
- Is Flybe prepared to change its website booking system to comply with the spirit as well as technicalities of the European Union Air Service Regulations. If not, why not?
Tags: airlines, budget airlines, Flybe, online travel, pricing
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