Police in Denmark charge Ryanair with false advertising and fraud

[Tcas climb]

Translated by myselfs, so sorry in advance for grammar and spelling mistakes.

After complaints from competing carriers, that claim that Ryanair in a number of cases has adverticed tickets prices without including tax, the Danish consumer department has reported Ryanair to the police and Århus police has charged the Irish low cost carrier with breach of the Danish price tag law. The adverticements has been changed and are now in accordance with Danish law, but there is no plans to change the the price policy on the internet. The newspapers Århus stiftstidende, Nordjyske Stiftstidende and Morgenavisen Jyllandsposten has also been charged for taking part in the breach of the law by bringing the advertisments.

Ryanair is now also being critiziced for misleading of passenger, because Rayanair were collecting 66 DKR in passengertax in spite of only having to pay half to Århus airport.

07.03.2003
Efter klager fra konkurrerende flyselskaber over, at Ryanair i en række tilfælde har markedsført billetter uden at inkludere skatter og afgifter har Forbrugerstyrelsen anmeldt Ryanair, og Århus Politi har rejst tiltale mod det irske lavprisselskab for overtrædelse af prismærkningsloven. Annoncerne er ændret og følger nu reglerne, men der er ingen planer om at ændre prispolitikken på internettet. Der er også rejst tiltale mod Århus Stiftstidende, Nordjyske Stiftstidende og Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten for at have medvirket til overtrædelse af loven ved at bringe Ryanair’s annoncer.
Nu kritiseres Ryanair også for vildledning af passagererne på grund af opkrævningen af 66 kroner i passagerafgift, hvor selskabet blot betaler det halve til Aarhus Lufthavn. Ryanair afviser kritikken.
(Berlingske Tidende, Børsen og Jyllands-Posten 07.03.2003)

[Bad-Man]

About time someone took a closer look at Ryan Air

[Aviation Trainer too]

Ryanair is probably getting a kick back from the Airports involved and it would be only fair if they said so.

[Pax Vobiscum]

As a (relatively) frequent flyer on this service, I think my Danish friends have shot themselves in the foot. I suppose the laws have to be enforced, but if you want to get AAR-LON, you'll be hard-pushed to find a cheaper or quicker alternative (although given the distance from the airport to the city, I'm told that flights from Billund are nearly as quick, but they cost £300).

The UK fare is (typically) £21 each way with £26.20 tax on top. Given it costs me £100 for the taxi to Stansted, I call that damn good value, particularly when you look at the £100+ fare from LHR-CPH.

Aarhus should really be promoting these flights as short breaks, in order to get itself better known as a tourist destination.

Just my $0.02.

[Miserlou]

Yeah, complaints from other companies but not the pax who are paying.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the tax paid on the ticket goes partly to the airport and partly to the government so the criticism is also unjust.

It's a typical case of protectionism.

When they can get a garage or tradesman to just quote a price without adding "plus tax" quietly (or audibly for that matter) at the end of the sentence- that would be progress!

[DamienB]

Aarhus should really be promoting these flights as short breaks, in order to get itself better known as a tourist destination.

Obviously never been to Arhus then :)

Once you've seen the 'old village' bit, well that's about it...

[Zico]

Well, if you say so Miserlou, I´m sure the police will find that FR is doing everything by the book;)
Personally I wouldn´t bet on it. Protectionism of what? Nobody is competing with FR on that route, but there are other users of that airport, that have a hard time understanding why their pax. should pay 66 kr. in handling, money that goes to the airport, while FR pax pay the same 66 kr but the airport let´s half of that, 33 kr, . flow directly into FR´s bankaccount. Seems to me, that the other operators and their pax. are subsidising FR this way.
And the problem that FR has with publishing the correct prices in advertising, a problem that FR has had for a long time, that Miserloo is a law, that everyone else has to abide by. Why is that so difficult for FR.

And to Pax Vobiscum; you say it yourself, rules are rules. I don´t think anybody is shooting their own feet by demanding fair competition. FR won´t stop flying that route even if they have to compete on equal terms, because they are very succesful on that (and many other) routes. And should they stop flying because they can´t accept equal terms for all, you won´t see me crying. Ryan Air is good news for pax all over Europe, but let´s have a fair competition please.

[Tcas climb]

Miserlou

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the tax paid on the ticket goes partly to the airport and partly to the government so the criticism is also unjust.

Let me correct you then. Ryanair demands 66 DKR from the pax for handling in Århus, but only payes 33 DKR for the handling in Århus. That means Ryanair is stealing from passengers, as passengers are thinking the money goes to Århus airport, while Ryanair is actually putting this money in its own pockets.

Maybe starting an airline with free rides, just collecting tax is the way to go.

"ITS FREE WITH US! JUST HAVE TO PAY THE DAMNED AIRPORTS! ÅRHUS-LONDON 1.200,- DKR ALL TAXES!"

;)

[Miserlou]

Thanks for the correction re. taxes.

However, I now understand the situation to be this.

A few years ago SAS got the passenger tax reduced on campaign fares, so that a cheaper fare meant a cheaper tax.
Obviously, they don't like another company benefitting from 'their' deal.

I doubt the passengers know about this, or for that matter, care, when one considers the pennies involved.

Still sounds like Jante Law is alive and well-"We're not doing well therefore you're not allowed to do well!"

[Zico]

Oh yes, Jante is alive and well in Scandinavia. But I don´t know if Jante is involved in this case. I know that SAS is no saint, afterall they were hit by a huge fine by the EU recently, for breaking competitionlaws. But that´s the whole point (at least it´s my point) Miserlou, everone plays the game by the rules...or else you pay dearly!
Afterall, Jante or not, it´s not SAS or Sunair that has decided to investigate FR. It´s the competitionboard that received complaints, and that very same competitionboard has now decided to go so far as to let the police investigate. No big deal if you ask me, provided that FR is found to be abiding the rules! But then again, it´s not only in AAR something stinks. What about the EU investigation into Charleroi. Or ESOW or ENTO for that matter. Will be interesting to see, if we are competing on a level playing field.

[Zico]

PS,

TCAS, jeg skulle hilse fra Delfintræneren.

[airbourne]

Where is FRs low fares, Im taking the first flight to STN next wednesday. The outbound flight is costing me €199 plus tax!! what is that all about!?