The US Department of Transportation has fined Continental Airlines $120,000 for advertising ticket prices without clearly disclosing fuel surcharges that almost double the fare. US Airways has been fined $45,000 for a similar violation.
Continental was selling flights from San Jose to San Salvador for $298, but when passengers began to book the seat, they found that the actual price was $538 with fuel charges. Continental claimed the violation was caused by a computer programming glitch, and immediately addressed the issue once pointed out to them by the DOT.
US Airways was found by the DOT to have advertised flights from the US to Rome for $659 this year, although the air carrier noted with an asterisk that the final price might include taxes and fees, the airline’s website and ads did not spell out those extra costs.
The airline told the Transportation Department that the mistake was inadvertent and was fixed within 24 hours.