Under new EU legislation, any extra charges must be added to the ticket price up-front.

Under new European Union (EU) regulation, taxes, fees and charges added to the cost of an airline ticket will now all have to be included in the basic ticket price.

Air rate, taxes, airport charges, surcharges and security and fuel fees must all be specified within the price and booking process. Where security charges have been added to the price of a ticket, this information must be shown separately, either on the ticket or in another form to ensure the consumer knows exactly what they are being charged for.

Optional extras available with a flight ticket, such as travel insurance, must now be communicated clearly at the start of the booking process and must be clearly available as an ‘opt-in’ extra.

Brian Simpson, member of the Party of European Socialists (PES) and North West Labour, commented on the new legislation: “Now, not only will customers see the true price [of an airline ticket], but also the security taxes levied by national governments will have to be highlighted separately.

“This transparency has to be a good thing, and I hope it will end what has been over recent years an exercise in deceit by some airlines which try to con the travelling public into believing they are buying a very cheap ticket when the opposite is true.”

Of particular concern to the EU was the process of booking air tickets online, which is often the only way to book tickets with low-cost airlines. Under the new legislation, all costs associated within the airfare must be covered comprehensively and explicitly on airlines’ websites.

Ryanair, a European low-fares airline, has welcomed the decision by the EU, and has stated that the airline is already compliant with the regulations: “Ryanair is delighted that the European Parliament has decided to bring other airlines into line with [its] high standards of fare transparency.”

The new regulation will be enforced later this year or early next year.