Sunday, July 27, 2008
Call to review ‘zero fare’ ads
Sunday July 27, 2008
Call to review ‘zero fare’ ads
By RASHVINJEET S.BEDI
KUALA LUMPUR: Advertisements on “zero fare” are misleading and should be banned, said the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta).
“There is no such thing as 'zero fare'. This means that customers don't have to pay anything at all. But they end up paying hundreds of ringgit,” Matta president Ngiam Foon said in an interview.
He said that New Zealand, Australia and Europe had outlawed such advertising practices, and the European Parliament had agreed to a new law to include taxes, unavoidable charges, surcharges and fees in the advertised offer.
At present, local advertisements specify that airport taxes, fuel surcharges and other fees are not included in the prices and that the “zero fare” seats are limited.
Ngiam Foon called for a review of such advertising practices by airlines such as AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines to make them more transparent.
He suggested that the adverts indicate an all-inclusive pricing for the benefit of the consumers.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) secretary-general Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah said these indications would usually be in small print.
Sha'ani suggested that the advertisements give a range of prices from the lowest to the highest.
When contacted, AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines declined to comment.
