Thomson scraps fuel supplements for summer 2007 – 27 Dec 2006

Thomson has become the first major UK travel company to scrap fuel supplements for summer 2007 holidays – and slammed the Office of Fair Trading for continuing to allow operators to rip off customers with fuel supplements .

The three major rivals of the UK’s largest package holiday operator – Thomas Cook, MyTravel and First Choice – are all charging customers an extra £30 short haul and £65 long haul in fuel costs.

Thomson has decided to take a stand and incorporate the fuel charges in advertised and brochured prices.

Managing director Peter Rothwell said it’s “time to put an end to misleading pricing” and has criticised the Office of Fair Trading for “sitting” on the issues of misleading holiday prices.

Rothwell wrote to the OFT in September 2006 demanding all tour operators should be forced to include fuel charges in their December brochure prices.

The OFT has failed to respond to Thomson’s call, he said. Until now major operators have not included fuel charges in prices, arguing it is not a fixed cost.

But Rothwell said: “Travel companies have no justification whatsoever for charging a fuel supplement. They are simply baiting customers with artificially low prices and then stinging them with unavoidable supplements.

“I’m dismayed the OFT is still sitting on this issue. We have taken a stand and the OFT should see the benefit and enforce it industry-wide.”

Rothwell also criticised Thomas Cook for reducing its baggage allowance by five kilos to 15 kilos and then charging the customer £10 to buy back the five kilos it has taken away from the allowance.

“It’s outrageous,” he said. “We refuse to be dragged any further down this route, we believe in honest pricing.”