Airlines may now be quoting taxes, fees and charges as part of the fare, but they’re still being less than frank about other extras.
Today’s Daily Telegraph has a full-page ad in which Flybe, in a huge headline figure, offers fares “from 19.99 one way”. The small print at the foot of the page says the fares include taxes and charges. But it also says that a “handling fee” of 99p applies if you use a debit card and of £1.99 if you use a credit card. You will, of course, have to use one or the other. Since using a credit card may provide protection against airline bankruptcy that you do not get with a debit card, the chances are that most people will use a credit card. So why isn’t the headline fare £21.98? Indeed, given that the transaction is being conducted online, over computers, who exactly is doing anything that could remotely be described as “handling”, and why should there be a charge for it?