THE CIVIL Aviation Authority has told lastminute.com that it must reveal the names of tour operators which are offering discounted deals on its Web site.
Lastminute.com’s registered users are not currently told the name of suppliers until they have made a booking, enabling operators and airlines to heavily discount their products and keep their details secret from high-street agents (Travel Weekly January 24).
But CAA consumer protection group deputy director David Moesli said it was breaking the law to keep the name of an operator secret.
“We’ve had a meeting with lastminute.com and told them they have got to put the name of the operator next to its Air Travel Organiser’s Licence,” said Moesli.
CAAhead of licensing Helen Simpson added:”We want this done as soon as possible to comply with the law. I don’t think it should take long. We’re not asking them, it is a requirement.”
Lastminute.com founder Martha Lane Fox said it had a good relationship with the CAA and was confident the company could comply with the law and protect the brand integrity of suppliers.
She said: “There are different ways of doing it because there are layers of pages within Web sites. We are working with the CAA to come up with a solution.
“Suppliers want a certain level of integrity and we can still offer that.”
Lane Fox denied that suppliers would be reluctant to give lastminute.com preferential deals if the consumer is told the names of operators before making a booking.
“Firms work with us because of the volume of sales we generate,” she said. “Only a small part of our business is unbranded.”
She added lastminute.com was not trying to take business from travel agents.
“We are about taking people over the next few days, which is largely not the business of travel agents. We are complementary to them.”
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