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easyJet urges regulators to clampdown on ‘misleading’ eDreams site

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By John Glenday, Reporter

June 6, 2013 | 2 min read

No-frills airline EasyJet has adopted the mantle of consumer champion after bringing European travel website eDreams to the attention of regulators for misleading customers into overpaying for its flights.

easyJet contends that the site is duping passengers into using its services by quoting enticingly low air fares, only to hit customers later with a series of add-on fees and service charges, making them up to 60 per cent more expensive than an equivalent ticket booked directly from easyJet.

Amongst the nefarious practises believed to be eDreams staples are ‘screen scraping’ pricing information from the official easyJet website without authorisation and adopting ‘misleading’ pricing information to dupe passengers into using its services.

A spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority said: “We are now considering these concerns carefully as part of our ongoing work to ensure travel companies comply with consumer law.”

easyJet marketing chief Peter Duffy believes as many as 300,000 passengers could have fallen for the scam between October and March.

In the past easyJet has been accused of similar practises itself but the airline now insists it is upfront about all costs in its quoted cost.

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