Originally Posted by
EuropeanPete
In Europe at least, similar practice in other industries (e.g. airline fees) have been made illegal on the basis that a company shouldn't be advertising fees hidden purely for the reason of creating a misleading impression to the consumer (e.g. in price comparisons). I hope that the European Commission looks at destination fees soon before they make it across the Atlantic.
US airlines have been under similar laws for at least five years now. Advertised fares need to include all mandatory fees in most cases. From the
Dept of Transportation website:
For both domestic and international markets, carriers must provide disclosure of the full price to be paid, including government taxes/fees as well as carrier surcharges, in their advertising, on their websites and on the passenger’s e-ticket confirmation. In addition, carriers must disclose all fees for optional services through a prominent link on their homepage, and must include information on e-ticket confirmations about the free baggage allowance and applicable fees for the first and second checked bag and carry-on.