At last! Flybe becomes first budget airline to drop debit card fees

PA

Budget airline Flybe has become the first low-cost carrier to drop its £9 debit card fee.

The move may have come following calls from the Office of Fair Trading for all airlines to scrap debit card fees.

After a complaint by Which? about surcharges, the OFT said it was considering legal action against travel firms that refuse to scrap debit card charges.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, Flybe's UK managing director Andrew Strong said the move is part of "a fair, open and transparent approach to sales and service policies", adding: "I'm not looking to put up fares to offset the removal. People will choose us because we offer a better product."

Flybe's competitors Ryanair and Easyjet have no immediate plans to follow suit.

Easyjet opeates a £9 flat fee that is says is "charged on all bookings and contributes to the airline's administrative costs".

Ryanair takes a similar line, saying it's fee of £6 per person per flight on debit and credit cards as an "admin fee" that "relates to costs associated with Ryanair's booking system".

What do you think of debit card fees? Should all airlines be forced to scrap them? Leave your thoughts below...



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