MSE News: Airlines axe debit card surcharges, but Easyjet & Ryanair won't follow suit

Kite2010

SaveTheEuro wrote: »

That wouldn't work because the online check-in fee has to be included in the basic fare. The ideal for them is to advertise a low base fare but try to get people to pay for optional extras.

easyJet is deceiving single passengers by advertising a price based on 2 people travelling. The fare for a single passenger is higher so the quoted price is unobtainable. Previously, before they replaced the debit card fee with an admin fee, it was at least possible to get a fare at the advertised price by paying with a visa electron card.

They will get around including the online check-in fee in the adverts because for some promotional flights they waive the check-in fees.

jpsartre

callum9999 wrote: »

So you would be completely fine should Ryanair put "admin fee of £6 pp/per flight unless using Ryanair cash passport" in the small print and then advertise the price minus the payment surcharge?

I do not agree it's listed in small print on the easyJet website so your question is based on a false assumption. However, if you meant to ask whether it would be fine for Ryanair to advertise a price on their own website and make it clear that the price applies only if you pay with the Ryanair Cash Passport, then I fail to see what the problem. If you don't have the appropriate card, you would know straight away that the price doesn't apply to you.

jpsartre

Kite2010 wrote: »

They will get around including the online check-in fee in the adverts because for some promotional flights they waive the check-in fees.

You're mixing up easyJet and Ryanair. It's Ryanair that charges for online check-in and claim it's an optional extra because some select flights do not include it. EasyJet has no such fee.

SaveTheEuro

Kite2010 wrote: »

They will get around including the online check-in fee in the adverts because for some promotional flights they waive the check-in fees.

That's true, but only a minor of flights have promotional prices and prices listed on the website for each day of travel have to include compulsory charges.

callum9999

jpsartre wrote: »

You're mixing up easyJet and Ryanair. It's Ryanair that charges for online check-in and claim it's an optional extra because some select flights do not include it. EasyJet has no such fee.

Where do they claim it's an optional charge? It's always included in the headline rate of the price - it's just broken down into components after you click it.

jpsartre

callum9999 wrote: »

Where do they claim it's an optional charge?

Here: http://gospain.about.com/od/ryanair/f/web_check_in.htm

SaveTheEuro

callum9999 wrote: »

Where do they claim it's an optional charge? It's always included in the headline rate of the price - it's just broken down into components after you click it.

Exactly. The Ryanair online check-in fee isn't optional in the way paying for baggage is. It's included in the make-up of some fares but not others. What is optional is the fare you choose.

On flights where an online check-in fee applies it is always included in the total price as displayed on the booking pages.

Quite frankly Ryanair flights at £12 could quite as easily be £6 plus £6 online check-in fee. Who knows? Who cares? It makes no difference; they still have to be advertised at £12.

callum9999

jpsartre wrote: »

Here: http://gospain.about.com/od/ryanair/f/web_check_in.htm

That isn't claiming it's "optional" it's claiming it's "avoidable". I must admit, even for PR men, Ryanairs are particularly annoying - but nothing they've said is technically inaccurate. You can avoid it by booking a promotional flight without it.

Ryanair categorically do not define it as optional - it is included in the advertised flight of every single flight. I.e. click on a £69.99 fare and when it's broken down it will be listed as a £63.99 fare and a £6.00 check in fee.

jpsartre

The point is that Ryanair does not consider it an compulsary charge. If you want to get into a semantic debate over whether or not non-compulsary really means optional that's fine though you'll have to find someone else to debate with.

You are right that the fee is now included in prices and is no longer on their list of optional fees. It seems they have changed their stance on whether the check in fee is truely optional or not and for the better. I take it any reasonable person will agree that McNamara's argument for why it is (or was) considered optional is pretty thin.

callum9999

jpsartre wrote: »

The point is that Ryanair does not consider it an compulsary charge. If you want to get into a semantic debate over whether or not non-compulsary really means optional that's fine though you'll have to find someone else to debate with.

You are right that the fee is now included in prices and is no longer on their list of optional fees. It seems they have changed their stance on whether the check in fee is truely optional or not and for the better. I take it any reasonable person will agree that McNamara's argument for why it is (or was) considered optional is pretty thin.

It has been included in the flight prices for well over a year (I'm having to take your word for it that it ever wasn't - I've certainly never noticed that, but then I only book sale flights).

If you accept that they don't treat it as an optional charge (it's not semantic - there is a very clear and important, albeit small, difference between "optional" and "avoidable"), what exactly is the issue? For all I care they could put a £5 oxygen fee and £10 life jacket fee into the cost of the ticket - if they advertise each individual flight with the non-optional charges included it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever.

As I said above, even for PR men Ryanair's are among the worst - but the charges being avoidable is technically accurate. I avoid them virtually on every flight.