Apart from this recent issue of not really charing 0, RyanAir used to falsely advertise about where they fly. One example is Frankfurt/Hahn. In the beginning, many missed their flights because they got lost looking for Frankfurt/Hahn when in fact the airport is located in Hahn, 100km away from Frankfurt! Same goes for the other cities which they claim to serve.

Anyway... RyanAir do offer cheap tickets. However, they do have problems when it comes to "truth in advertising".

my two cents.

My point of view is that most consumers are cynical anyway these days. Who could actually believe that you could fly for nothing? No such thing as a free lunch et. al.

I'm not offended, mainly because I realize that your saying that something is hot air doesn't mean it is, let alone add anything to the discussion. Nor does saying that x per cent of people support one's position, or saying that something is irrelevant (nod to earlier poster), make these statements of fact as opposed to opinion.

First, I'm not entrenching myself in any position here - I'm exploring the issue. And if I'm gonna explore it, I have to think about what might be the concerns of the other party (and not just Ryanair specifically but about businesses in general.) The upside of this is that we might stumble across a solution other than government penalties, which don't necessarily constitute the most efficient solution to problems. Governments don�t necessarily know how to ensure optimal treatment of consumers; under the old days of heavy government regulation of airlines, competition was stifled more than generated, which is rarely good news for the consumer.

As long as the cost breakdown is reported in advance, is fair relative to market price, and has a fair method of assessment, no, I wouldn't mind a taxi driver adding fuel costs under certain conditions. On Labour Day weekend, 2005, truckers here went on strike, and who could blame them? They were facing fuel prices that were fifty per cent higher than two weeks previously. It is one thing to expect a business, or for that matter employees, to absorb cost volatility within reason, say a 7 per cent change in a given time period. It is quite another to demand adherence to a contract regardless of the magnitude of the volatility, especially since bankrupt businesses can hardly be said to serve the consumer�s best interest.

That said, cost breakdowns have struck me as annoying, certainly, because of how similar the practice looks to 'upping the ante' - securing a tentative agreement from someone in the expectation that they will more readily agree to subsequent demands. It�s just that �subsequent demands� in my view can take the form either of an initially unreported variation in price for stipulated services, AND/OR an initially unreported variation in included services for a stipulated price. This is why things might not be so straightforward as first appears.

I agree with both of your points. To amplify the comments of simpleflyer, the government that introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Canada was soundly defeated and reduced to two seats in the following election.

The GST supplanted a hidden tax that had been imposed at the manufacturing level. At that time we were living in Canada and I recall clearly our Member of Parliament (a member of the governing Conservative Party that was wiped out) stating that their biggest mistake had been in not hiding the tax.

So yes, as a "North American" I do appreciate the convenience in other countries of having the total price on the sticker, particularly as a tourist, but my innate distrust of government is such that I prefer the reminder of knowing how much is being skimmed off my purchase for their many worthy purposes.

These differing worldviews are similar to those debates in other threads about whether tipping / service charges are best included or left to the diner's discretion.

Hope I haven't taxed anybody's patience with this lengthy post.

You will find that in many countries where the tax is included there will be a separate line telling you how much tax. And tax is what goes to the government in the form of a sales tax, not some operating expenses like landing fees, fuel, service charges etc... (or my favorite: US rental car's "utility service charge").

HTB.