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Old 17th Feb 2006, 12:16
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Norman Stanley Fletcher
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
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In fairness to Martha, I think the more critical posts may have missed her point. It seems to me that her complaint is regarding the hidden nature of the charges which are not immediately apparent when you book a fare with Ryanair (and increasingly with other airlines as well). You can argue that the surcharges are all on the website somewhere but the truth is that the fares being presented basically do not exist.

For example, if you see a £0.99 fare from Stansted to Bologna, there is a clear suggestion that this is what you will pay. It is, alas, not what you pay as there is an increasing range of charges (taxes, baggage, etc) added to your fare. Ryanair are clearly misrepresenting the cost of one of their tickets in that it is not possible under any circumstances to travel anywhere for £0.99. To argue that it is still really cheap is missing the point. The answer to this lies in regulatory action. It is in everyone's interest that they know up front the real cost of a flight with a particular airline.

May I present as an excellent case example the situation with home computers? Up until recently it was common practice to quote prices without VAT - a practice that was defended to the hilt by virtually everyone involved but has now ceased. The reason it ceased was regulatory intervention because it was simply not possible to buy a computer in the UK without paying VAT. The quotation of a price that could not actually be achieved was rightly seen as unacceptable and a misrepresentation of the truth. Such is the case with Ryanair who are probably the worst offender in the industry with regards to this essentially dishonest practice.
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