At Least One Country is Getting Tough on Hidden Airline Fees

Hidden fees are ta reality of air travel. Fuel surcharges have finally dropped, but not gone away. then there are airport taxes, insurance charges and administrative costs. The small nation of Singapore is trying to crack down on undisclosed costs by forcing advertising to include a full disclosure of costs and fees. Eleanor Wong, chairwoman of the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS), said that a "media advisory" announced last year did not lead to the kind of full price disclosure that she had hoped. So more stringent measures had to be taken.

"The idea is that these are non-negotiable add-ons and should be treated as an integral part of the fare. With the practice of adding fuel and other surcharges becoming prevalent, we thought it would be useful to issue a specific clarification that would apply to the general principles of fair advertising specifically to the travel industry."

To enforce this new law, ads that do not fully disclose prices will be suspended. For once, Singapore's authoritarian bureaucracy might have actually done something useful.

[Via TTG Asia]

Filed under: Singapore, Consumer Activism