UK Civil Aviation Authority helps UK holidaymakers avoid extra airline and airport fees and charges

2013-06-10 — /travelprnews.com/ — UK holidaymakers can now check the cost of any extra fees they might have to pay both their airline and airport, thanks to the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) online fees and charges comparison tables.

Covering the top 22 airlines operating in the UK, the CAA’s airline fees and charges comparison table helps passengers to easily see how much airlines charge for services such as allocated seating, in-flight meals and hold baggage. It means passengers can choose the flight that suits them best, safe in the knowledge they are fully aware of the additional costs they may have to pay.

As well as comparing airline fees and charges, passengers can now also do the same for 31 UK airports. The CAA’s new airport fees and charges table includes information about the compulsory charges passengers might have to pay such as airport development fees, as well as optional charges for services like using express security lanes.

Iain Osborne, Director of Regulatory Policy at the CAA, said:
“Passengers in the UK benefit from being able to choose flights from a wide range of airlines flying from a variety of airports, some of them charge extra for certain services whilst others will include these services in the ticket cost.

“This choice is a good thing for UK passengers, but to really benefit from it, they need to have clear information about the total cost of their flight – including any potential fees and charges they might have to pay. Our two fees and charges comparison tables mean UK passengers can now be fully aware of any charges they may face right from the moment they arrive at the airport, to the moment they take-off.”

The airline fees and charges comparison table was first launched in 2012 and has now been fully updated to include comprehensive information about the different fees and charges applied by the top 22 airlines flying out of the UK. The new airport fees and charges comparison table provides a similar service, offering passengers information about compulsory and optional charges at the 31 major UK airports.

Where fees and charges are not optional extras but unavoidable, like fuel surcharges, they must by law be included in the price of the ticket at the start of the booking process and therefore clear to consumers. The CAA continues to work to make sure airlines and travel companies display prices to consumers correctly.

To view both the airline and airport comparison tables and get more advice on travelling by air, please visit the CAA’s online passenger portal at http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=2230&pageid=12677.

For more information, please contact the CAA Press Office, on press.office@caa.co.uk, or 020 7453 6030. You can also follow the CAA on Twitter at @UK_CAA

Notes to editors
1. The airline fees and charges comparison table includes information on the optional fees and charges applied by the top airlines operating in the UK, based on scheduled flight numbers. All of the airlines included in the tool were consulted throughout its initial development.
2. The airport comparison table covers 31 UK airports, all of which were consulted before the table’s publication.
3. The CAA reviews and publishes updated versions of both the airline and airport comparison tables quarterly. It has also committed to actioning requests for amendments within three working days
4. The CAA is the UK’s specialist aviation regulator. Its activities include: making sure that the aviation industry meets the highest technical and operational safety standards; preventing holidaymakers from being stranded abroad or losing money because of tour operator insolvency; planning and regulating all UK airspace; and regulating airports, air traffic services and airlines and providing advice on aviation policy from an economic standpoint.

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