ONE IN three airline and travel websites mislead consumers, according to a report from the European Commission.
Of 386 websites checked, 137 had problems serious enough to warrant investigation, according to the European commissioner for consumer protection, Meglena Kuneva. Only half of these sites have so far rectified the problems.
Ms Kuneva said there were “serious and persistent” consumer problems involving hundreds of ticket-selling websites throughout the airline industry.
Many sites conceal the true cost of flights until consumers are close to booking, according to the commission.
For logistical reasons, Ireland did not take part in the “sweep” of travel websites organised by the commission last year. However, the National Consumer Agency is undertaking its own investigation of airline websites.
For legal reasons, the commission has not named the airlines it is investigating in most countries. However, Ryanair was singled out in Norway for including the right to priority boarding as a pre-chosen option and charging a fee for this.
The Consumer Ombudsman felt that this practice was unfair and the Irish consumer agency has now asked Ryanair to change this.
The Norwegian authorities were also critical of the fact that credit card booking fees were not included in advertised prices.
A Ryanair spokesman rejected the claims against the airline.