TICKET PRICE SHOCK

How many of you have called about a $49 ticket to Edmonton, only to learn that (a) it was just one-way and (b) it excluded all taxes, fuel surcharges, and government fees. So typically, your “$49 ticket” turned out to cost $250.00! Well just maybe, the governments—Federal and Provincial- may be doing something about it at last.



For years, our travel trade association ACTA has lobbied governments on behalf of consumers for more truthful advertising of airfares by airlines. Finally, in January of this year, the federal, provincial, and territorial ministers responsible for consumer affairs met to discuss this issue. The outcome of this meeting was the creation of the Consumer Measures Committee (CMC), which will work to coordinate consumer protection laws and policies, particularly with respect to airline travel advertising. The CMC is now consulting the public on how to achieve greater “transparency” in airline fare advertising.



The aim is to eliminate misleading advertising. According to a report by a group of consumer agencies (Option Consommateurs, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, and Transport 200 Canada), current airline advertising hides up to 79% of the total cost of a ticket! The chart below gives examples of these discrepancies:









While most of the travel industry, including travel agencies and tour operators, is regulated by the provincial governments, airline policy is a federal responsibility. There is currently no federal law specifically governing airline advertising. Visit: http://cmcweb.ca/epic/internet/incmc-cmc.nsf/en/fe00083e.html to read more about this issue and to fill in a survey.