extra charge by travel agent

hifienthusiast

I booked a flight for a relative using https://www.asda-travel.co.uk on 14th Dec 2006. The cost of the return flight from London Heathrow to Miami in the online booking website is £376.20 which I paid using my current account card.

I since found that without my consent and any notice from Wefly, an extra £20 was taken out of my current account on 16th Dec. The airfare of £376.20 was debited from my account on 18th Dec.

I phoned WeFly on 23rd and 27th Dec and the staff told me that the extra £20 is due to the increase in air travel duty. The air travel duty was announced on 7th Dec which is a week before I paid for the online ticket on 14th Dec.

It is unfair for WeFly to charge me the extra £20 because:
1. I only agreed to pay the online price of £376.20 when I booked the fare
2. The air travel duty was announced on 7th Dec, so any adjustment of the fare should have happened on the website before I booked the flight.
3. WeFly took £20 from my bank account without giving me any notice.

I wrote to WeFly to request a reimbursement of £20 to my bank account.

pennylane99

the increased air passenger duty comes into effect for flights taken from 1st Feb 2007.
The Treasury is urging airlines and tour operators not to pass the costs on to passengers who have already booked.
Its therefore up to each individual tour operator to decide if they will charge or not for already booked flights.
Looks like the ones you booked with ARE doing so....

hifienthusiast

Thanks for your reply. The most annoying thing is that WeFly didn't even bother to contact me before the extra £20 was taken out of my bank account. I only agreed to pay £376.20 when I paid for the ticket online. I don't agree that money could be taken from my account without my consent.

I am waiting for a call from their manager after the new year and a reply for my complaint letter.

Sam_Bee

I agree that you should have to pay the extra £20 as it is an extra charge imposed by the treasury.

However, how it was debited from your card without giving you notice was unethical and possible illegal.

hifienthusiast

Sam_Bee wrote:

I agree that you should have to pay the extra £20 as it is an extra charge imposed by the treasury.

However, how it was debited from your card without giving you notice was unethical and possible illegal.

The treasury announced the increase of air travel duty on 7th Dec. I booked the ticket on 14th Dec, a whole week after the public announcement. The travel agent hasn't bothered to update their price in the website and when I filled in the online booking form, I only agreed to pay the £376.20.

I wouldn't mind if the original fare were £20 extra from the web site, I would be prepared to pay for that, but taking the money from my bank without my consent is not right.

pennylane99

the prices probably havent been updated on the website as it only applies to flights taken after 1st Feb.
Obviously there are people who are booking for flights/holiday departures leaving now, or before that date and wont have the extra £20 charged.

Its not your fare thats increased in price, its the governments tax.

And its usually in holiday/flight t & c's that fuel surcharges etc can be added.

Sam_Bee

hifienthusiast wrote:

The treasury announced the increase of air travel duty on 7th Dec. I booked the ticket on 14th Dec, a whole week after the public announcement. The travel agent hasn't bothered to update their price in the website and when I filled in the online booking form, I only agreed to pay the £376.20.

I wouldn't mind if the original fare were £20 extra from the web site, I would be prepared to pay for that, but taking the money from my bank without my consent is not right.

The Travel Agent quotes the taxes from the airline system. It most likely hadn't been added because of the complete lack of direction from Mr Gordon Brown as to who this new tax applied to and how it would be taken.

Try and remember who profits from this increase - it's not the travel agent!

But I agree with your other point wholeheartedly.

Voyager2002

Anyway, that fare does not sound like a good deal.

I suggest you cancel the whole transaction and look elsewhere.