“For years we have been lobbying with the federal government to mandate transparency in fare advertising,” Jamieson said. “Consumers deserve to see the full price of an airline ticket including the taxes and surcharges”.
ACTA is committed to making sure that the consumer is protected from hidden costs. It can be particularly confusing to the public when, due to provincial jurisdictions that require all-in fare advertising, they see a much different quote from an airline. “Sticker shock follows when the actual price of the ticket is revealed,” Jamieson said.
Jamieson said, “ACTA openly congratulates WestJet for recognizing the recent decrease in fuel prices and passing on the reduction to the consumer. We are also encouraged by the steps taken by Air Canada to include their fuel surcharge into the base fare within North America.”
ACTA is also lobbying for a passenger protection plan that would restore confidence in the short and in the long term and impose some financial discipline on the airline industry. “In light of the recent demise of Zoom airlines, and other previous failures, there is a definite need to take the utmost care of advanced consumer payments,” Jamieson said.
Theodore Koumelis - Tuesday, September 23, 2008