The Office of Fair Trading is investigating a number of airlines over surcharges for credit and debit cards.
The investigation follows a super-complaint from consumer group Which? in March. The group attacked low-cost airlines including easyJet, Ryanair and Flybe, as being among the worst offenders.
The OFT responded to the complaint in June, pledging to “tackle” airlines who used the practice. Since then the OFT has secured voluntarily agreements from a number of airlines to improve the transparency of their payment and booking fees.
“These changes mean that the existence of payment card surcharges is now made clear as soon as a consumer searches for a flight on the airline’s website,” the OFT said.
However, a further study by Which? suggests few airlines have put any changes in place, and that consumers have collectively paid £18 million in card fees since the OFT’s response.
The OFT is examining whether the companies complied with consumer-protection legislation. It can then can demand undertakings from the airlines to stop certain practices that it deems unfair. If they do not, the OFT must take the companies to court.
The OFT estimates UK consumers spent £300 million in online payment surcharges to airlines alone in 2009.