Note to Ryanair: Fool us once, shame on us. Fool us twice, and we’ll fine you.
Italian competition watchdog Codacons has has fined Irish airlines Ryanair €400,000 for failing to follow through on a commitment to simplify online ticket sales by making final prices more lucid for the customer.
According to Reuters, this wasn’t the first time Ryanair had been fined for similar payment issues. Just last month, March 2013, the Netherlands Consumer Authority fined the airlines company €370,000 for imposing hidden costs to Dutch customers purchasing tickets online.
Starting December of last year through February 2013, Ryanair implemented a 2 percent processing fee on numerous types of credit cards. These fees were being added on at the end of the online booking fee process right before checkout. Many customers booking their flights online were being inundated with these discrete fees and were unable to detect them before they could be prevented.
Reuters reports Codacons stated that ticket prices should be, “Clearly and fully indicated from the very first contact with the consumer in such a way as to make the final price immediately clear.”
“The commission costs for buying with credit cards are very high and kept hidden by some airlines until the last moment,” said Carlo Rienzi, president of Codacons.
The antitrust watchdog is sticking up for travelers in Europe, arguing that all commissions being added on by online air tickets should be removed completely. The news isn’t sitting well with the airline and they have rejected the Italian group’s accusations. Ryanair will be fighting back through an appeal.
Reuters reports that a spokesperson at Ryanair commented, “Ryanair will appeal the unfounded decision by the Italian competition authority.”
To read the full story at Reuters click here.
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