[size=50:gaj54p8f]Daily Telegraph
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Budget airline tickets cost '10 times' as much as advertisedBudget airline tickets cost up to 10 times as much as originally advertised once extra charges are added, consumer groups have warned.
They suggested that a £9.99 air ticket could end up costing £100, once credit card fees and baggage costs are included – a practice known as ‘price dripping’.
The study by Which? suggested price dripping shows no signs of stopping and warned that no-frills airlines have “plenty of tricks up their sleeves” to make sure that the price consumers actually end up paying keeps creeping up.
It also pointed out that the way surcharges were applied often made no sense at all, such as a 2 per cent charge for booking a long-haul flight on a credit card, but no charge for paying for the same flight on debit card.
Most budget airlines also charge consumers for checking in bags and Which? warned that these could be ‘astronomical’.
It warned consumers to pay close attention during the online booking process because it is "
easy to end up spending big money on add-ons you didn’t want"
.
James Daley, editor of Which? Money, said: "
It's ridiculous that a flight advertised at ten pounds can end up costing closer to a hundred. Even if the final cost represents a good deal, the customer still ends up feeling resentful when they come to hand their money over, especially when they're charged again for the privilege of paying. Airlines shouldn't be scared about being upfront with their prices."
No surprise with this news then!! 
Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:52 pm
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