How does a $224 flight end up costing $826?

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We've all seen those airline ads. "London $224," they scream in eye-catching type. Far below, in small - make that microscopic - print comes the catch: The fare is one-way only and must be booked as part of a round trip. Oh, by the way, taxes, fees and surcharges aren't included.

In fact, when you actually book the fare online, it balloons to $826. That's still a bargain, but not quite what the ad promised.


Hmmm....the ad says $224, but when you try to collect it's $826. Thats dishonest. That would by lying your butt off , wouldn't it ? by a factor of 4 , no less.


However, Air Canada argues that it is in a competitive market and other airlines also advertise one-way base fares. "Therefore," airline spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick says, "we are forced to follow along because people often do not read beyond the headline advertising numbers for airfares."

Airlines may argue that such advertising is necessary to attract business, but that doesn't make it right, says Michael Janigan, executive director of the Ottawa-based Public Interest Advocacy Centre. "Almost any fraudulent or misleading practice is helpful to the merchant using it," he says.


Everyone else is lying , we have to lie too !

I wish it was just the airline industry. But it's not. Everyone else (like my cell phone carrier) does it too.

And I would qualify that comment about fraudulent practices helping the merchent , to add that it only helps in the short term. After which , too many people get their fingers burned and they never , ever, ever go back.