ABTA has accused Ryanair of failing to comply with Office of Fair Trading instructions to display unambiguous prices despite the weekend shutdown of the booking element of its website.
Ryanair’s site is now back taking bookings, but fares on the follow-up page to the home page – on which customers chose a flight – still do not include taxes and charges.
Instead, a note at the top of the page says: “Once a flight is selected the flight price including taxes, fees and charges is displayed in the right hand fare box.” This appears on the next page following flight selection.
The OFT instructed all airlines to display prices inclusive of non-optional charges such as tax last May, but gave Ryanair time to make the necessary technical changes. It set a deadline of January – since extended to the end of this month.
ABTA agreed to police its members and has issued fines of up to £5,000 to a handful of companies. ABTA head of legal services Simon Bunce said: “Ryanair has fobbed off the OFT for over a year with the excuse they could not show clear prices because they did not have the technology. Clearly they still don’t have the technology or they just don’t care how they deal with customers.
“We urge the OFT to ensure holidaymakers can trust the prices they are given so the can make valid comparisons.”
An OFT spokesman said: “Ryanair has informed the OFT that it has completed the changes to its website, but it is currently experiencing technical difficulties. We need to judge the site when it is working properly. But we want all airlines to show inclusive prices. That is clear.”