Ever tried to book a cheap flight online and found yourself mysteriously paying for extras you did not want, like insurance or carbon offsets?
Consumer advocacy group Choice has welcomed Virgin Australia’s decision to stop forcing consumers to opt out of potentially expensive pre-ticked travel insurance when they’re purchasing a flight online and is calling on Jetstar and Tiger to also ditch the ticks.
That's good news given reports of online customers removing ticks and then finding their fares immediately increased.
“Pre-ticked optional extras can see travellers paying up to 40% more for things they don’t want when all they’re trying to do is book a flight,” says Choice head of media Tom Godfrey.
“It’s great news that Virgin has decided to let its customers actively opt-in to these online add-ons but it’s time for Jetstar and Tiger to stop tricking people into buying extras they may not need.”
Choice has been campaigning for an end to pre-ticked optional extras on the online booking pages of Australia’s four major domestic airlines.
A Choice investigation found pre-selected extras potentially increased the price of a flight by up to 40%, with Jetstar the worst offender, as three of Australia’s four major domestic airlines added in extras such as standard seating, travel insurance and even charity donations.
“In much the same way that a supermarket wouldn’t get away with handing you a trolley full of groceries you don’t want, every time you arrived at the checkout, an airline shouldn’t be able to opt you in for products you don’t want or need,” Godfrey says.
“Signing you up for these extras is little more than marketing trickery. It’s particularly concerning that airlines try to push one-size-fits-all travel insurance, which is unlikely to meet the needs of all consumers.”
Virgin Australia decided to end the practice of pre-selecting travel insurance during the online booking process following discussions with the ACCC - making life much easier for the less computer savvy among us.
For more info go to: https://www.choice.com.au/travel/on-holidays/airlines/articles/preselected-extras-increase-airfare-costs
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| Good guys this time around |
That's good news given reports of online customers removing ticks and then finding their fares immediately increased.
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| Bad guys for now |
“It’s great news that Virgin has decided to let its customers actively opt-in to these online add-ons but it’s time for Jetstar and Tiger to stop tricking people into buying extras they may not need.”
Choice has been campaigning for an end to pre-ticked optional extras on the online booking pages of Australia’s four major domestic airlines.
A Choice investigation found pre-selected extras potentially increased the price of a flight by up to 40%, with Jetstar the worst offender, as three of Australia’s four major domestic airlines added in extras such as standard seating, travel insurance and even charity donations.
“In much the same way that a supermarket wouldn’t get away with handing you a trolley full of groceries you don’t want, every time you arrived at the checkout, an airline shouldn’t be able to opt you in for products you don’t want or need,” Godfrey says.
“Signing you up for these extras is little more than marketing trickery. It’s particularly concerning that airlines try to push one-size-fits-all travel insurance, which is unlikely to meet the needs of all consumers.”
Virgin Australia decided to end the practice of pre-selecting travel insurance during the online booking process following discussions with the ACCC - making life much easier for the less computer savvy among us.
For more info go to: https://www.choice.com.au/travel/on-holidays/airlines/articles/preselected-extras-increase-airfare-costs
Thankyou Winsor, I agree totally. I also wish more airlines would have sites as easy to use as that of Air New Zealand.
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