Should this be allowed?

[vctenderness]

I am looking for flights to Dublin in January and researched the AerLingus website.

I found return flights on the dates I wanted for £119.40 for two. The next day I received an email from Aer Lingus which said "pay only taxes and charges" so I looked again and guess what...£119.40!


This to me see bordering on fraud. If the offer is to only pay taxes and charges how can both prices be the same?


I thought these kind of campaigns had been outlawed or am I mistaken?

[TRY2FLY]

Doesn't surprise me and I'm sure there is plenty more than Aer Lingus at it!

[PAXboy]

For as long as people make rules - people will go around those rules. :}

if the price is good for you - then book it.

If you stop this (which does seem blatant) then they'll apologise and do something else. Money rulez.

[Captivep]

Why is it bordering on fraud? The price was the same on both days!

Unless, of course, you think the price on day one didn't include any charges (ie fare) and taxes...

[vctenderness]

Well the majority of punters looking for a flight would think that this was a genuine offer and that there was only tax and charges to pay NOT a fare.

I may well still book it as it is the same price but that is not the point. I remember a while back there was a whole controversy over this type of advertising and I thought it had been banned.


It implies that the fare being offered is different from the normal fare for that route and, as I said, it obviously is not otherwise search number two after said e mail would have produced a lower fare.


It is, at the least, misleading.

[ExXB]

Do you still have the e-mail? I would imagine it said something like; "Fares may not be valid on all flights" or "Seats are limited" or something similar.

I don't know of any airline that sells all of it's seats at the the same price, or offers its 'sale' fares on all seats/flights.

To me it appears that the 'free' seats were not available on the flights/dates you chose.