By Darren Ennis, Reuters

One in three European consumers are being misled or ripped off by websites selling airline tickets, the European Union’s consumer chief said, warning the industry to improve or face legal action.

Online booking is critical for the EU airline travel industry, which Commission figures show caters to over 700 million passengers per year.

Thursday’s report showed that over half of the 226 websites found to have breached EU consumer rules last November had now rectified their problems, but around 80 companies have still failed to address the concerns expressed by Brussels.

“This report shows there are serious and persistent problems with ticket sales throughout the airline industry as a whole,” Kuneva said.
The probe found websites with unfair pricing, hidden charges and terms and conditions not translated properly.

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