KUDOS TO OTTAWA FOR NEW RULES ON AIR FARE ADVERTISING...

THIS JUST IN!

 

The Government of Canada says it will proceed with regulations requiring Canadian air carriers to include all fees and taxes in their advertised prices.

In a press release issued this morning by Transport Canada, it was stated that "The Honourable Steven Fletcher, Minister of State (Transport), and Pierre Poilievre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, today announced the coming into force of clause 27 of An Act to Amend the Canada Transportation Act and The Railway Safety Act and to Make Consequential Amendments to Other Acts (the Act). The Canadian Transportation Agency will now proceed with developing regulations regarding airfare advertising.

"Our government is committed to enhancing consumer protection while promoting fair competition by ensuring greater transparency of advertised airfares for Canadian travellers," said Minister Fletcher. "This will allow consumers to easily determine the full cost of airfares in order to make informed choices."

Clause 27 of the Act provides for the making of regulations requiring a carrier to include in the price advertised all costs to the carrier of providing the service and to indicate in the advertisement all fees, charges and taxes related to the service that are collected by the carrier on behalf of another person .

The Canadian Transportation Agency will begin the process of drafting regulations, including consultations with stakeholders. The regulatory process is expected to take approximately one year

This blogger has been railing against the government about this for years, as have many a consumer baffled and bamboozled by ads that talk about fares to Paris for $350, or whatever, but actually amount to closer to $1,200 or so by the time you add the return ticket, taxes and fuel surcharges.

It's totally unfair to make folks read the fine print, and this is a HUGE step towards righting a long-standing wrong in my opinion.

No doubt the airlines will howl, so hang on and enjoy the fireworks.