Travel Niche Blog

According to the UK’s Trading Standards Institute (TSI) many companies offering cheap holidays online are ‘misleading’ customers with their vacation prices.

Holiday firms have been accused of applying hidden charges via compulsory extras such as taxes and fuel supplements, and that this was especially a problem at the budget end of the market according to the travel industry group ABTA.

The TSI did a random check of travel firms who were selling holidays online and found that some companies were selling a holiday in Spain for £118 for two people that actually cost £266 after all the compulsary extras were added.

It wasn’t just package companies who were misleading online visitors. The TSI came across a site advertising flight tickets for £84 that actually £149 after all the extras had been added.

According to the TSI the problem is that seom travel firms are abusing the “From…” believing that they can charge any final figure they like as long they say “from… x pounds”. The TSI has contacted the Office of Fair Trading to help clamp down on the practice and have the full support of ABTA.

More details of misleading online adverts by travel firms are available from the TSI website.

It’s been announced that the supermarket chain Lidl will be offering cheap plane tickets along with groceries.

Starting from the beginning of September, Lidl shoppers in the UK will be able to buy discounted plane tickets from Stansted, Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast and Bournemouth airports. The flights will be with Air Berlin to the holiday destinations of:

• Berlin - Tegel airport
• Düsseldorf
  
• Copenhagen
• Majorca
• Milan
• and Vienna

The tickets will be sold as £19 vouchers, which will be exchanged at the airport for £69 one way tickets; a saving of £50 on a single flight. You’ll have to be quick though as the special promotion only lasts for one week, starting September 5th and ending September 12th.