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Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
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Sneaky price hike by airlines will reduce passenger protection says Assembly Member
September 19, 2008 12:00 AM
Increased credit card charges being forced upon passengers by airlines could leave them faced with the stark choice of paying more for their holiday or losing important consumer protection against the collapse of their carrier, the Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Social Justice, Peter Black has said.
Mr. Black is worried that passengers may opt to pay by cheque, cash, or debit card instead, which would mean that they stand to lose an important consumer protection right.
Mr. Black said:
"The airlines know that passengers look very closely at fare prices. However, with fuel costs going up, they want to squeeze as much money as possible out of each ticket purchase. In the last year passengers have been hit with extra charges for items such as choosing a seat, checking in baggage, or travelling with an infant.
"Now many airlines are bumping up the cost of paying by credit card. For instance, Ryanair have made a 100% increase, and Easyjet a 40% increase. The problem is that if passengers switch to another cheaper form of payment, they will lose the consumer protection that paying by credit card provides for transactions over £100, should something happen to the airline.
"At a time when companies such as Zoom and XL have already gone under, such protection is worth having. Rather than sneaky price hikes, the airlines should be honest and add the actual cost of a credit card purchase to the headline price of a ticket."
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