Yesterday, the Air Transport Users Council highlighted consumers` dislike of airlines trying to con them with low fares…
Yesterday, the Air Transport Users Council highlighted consumers` dislike of airlines trying to con them with low fares that do not exist by offering a low fare up front only to add a host of spurious taxes and charges later on in the booking process.
However easyJet was been praised by the AUC for doing more than any other airline to be transparent with its pricing and keep external charges to a minimum by only displaying Air Passenger Duty (APD), the Government tax separately.
Europe`s leading low cost airline, has now gone one step further and will be the first airline to introduce all inclusive pricing early this summer, to ensure consumers are presented with the true cost.
easyJet has been advocating an industry move to all inclusive pricing for some time. For too long, some airlines have used the taxes and charges element of the fare as a dumping ground for all sorts of charges – from fuel surcharges to wheelchair levies. High-cost airlines in particular have externalised large proportions of their fares to mislead consumers into believing that they offer fares low enough to compete with airlines such as easyJet, which is simply not the case.
All inclusive pricing has been in practice in advertising for years and with this latest innovation easyJet is starting the trend online. As is typical in the airline industry where easyJet leads all other airlines are expected to follow.
Ray Webster, Chief Executive, said:
Consumers cannot be fooled by misleading upfront fares. In fact, they base their decision to buy depending upon the final price they see. It`s time the consumer was given credit by other airlines and presented with an honest total fare upfront to make the decision making process quicker and easier. Again easyJet will be the market leader in changing the airline industry to be more focused on the customers needs whilst maintaining our famously low (and all-inclusive) fares.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
