Lawsuit alleges companies charge deceptive fees and use “bait-and-switch advertising”
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Consumer Reports praised San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera today for filing suit against the online travel sites JustFly and FlightHub for unlawful and deceptive business practices that hide the true price of booking a flight. The lawsuit outlines a number of hidden fees charged by the companies, including seat assignment and flight cancellation fees, and misleading advertising practices that violate state law.
“San Francisco’s lawsuit alleges a number of deceptive and misleading practices that confuse consumers and inflate the real cost of booking a flight on JustFly and FlightHub,” said Anna Laitin, director of financial policy for Consumer Reports. “Hidden fees are all too common in the marketplace and make it difficult for consumers to comparison shop and know exactly how much they’ll pay. Justfly and Flighthub have taken these unfair practices to extreme lengths. Consumers using online travel sites deserve fair and transparent pricing so they won’t get stuck paying more than what they bargained for when booking a flight.”
Consumer Reports recently launched “What the Fee?!”, an organization-wide effort to highlight surprising fees and charges across industries—and help consumers fight back. Consumers can visit WhatTheFee.com to share their stories and learn how to avoid hidden fees.
Michael McCauley, mmccauley@consumer.org, 415-431-6747, ext 7606