EU probes airline fare gaps

AIRLINES, including Aer Lingus, have been accused of charging passengers different fares for flights depending on where they live.

People booking on the internet are badly hit by this latest form of discrimination, according to the European Commission. It has received complaints from hundreds of dissatisfied customers and have asked 18 airlines to clarify the situation.

The difference in price for the exact same flight can be vast as much as 300%, according to Gilles Gantelet, spokesperson for the commission.

"We are receiving an increasing number of complaints from citizens who believe they are being discriminated against when buying plane tickets, especially via the internet," he said.

Airlines usually use the credit card address to determine where the passenger lives. And depending on their country of residence, they may then be quoted different prices.

"This can vary according to the information we have received from €88 to €268 for exactly the same flight. The only difference is the address of the person booking it," Mr Gantelet said.

The price difference is not linked to the date of purchase, a provision to change a reservation or to any other service feature that could explain the varying costs.

"The price difference seems to be exclusively linked to the place of residence of the buyer," he said.

However, Mr Gantelet admitted that the commission may not be able to do anything about the situation.

It has asked the airlines to respond before the end of February and said it will then decide what action to take next.