By Henrietta Billings - 19th December 2003
Brussels announced on Friday a new investigation into allegations that airlines charge passengers different prices for the same European flight depending on where they live.
The European Commission has written to 18 European airlines demanding information about prices and whether or not they charge exactly the same fare regardless of the customer's country of residence.
According to the commission, hundreds of complaints have been received from people who feel they have been discriminated against when buying tickets - especially over the internet - from some of Europe's leading airlines such as Air France, British Airways and Lufthansa.
Airlines often use the postal or credit card address to determine the residence of a customer, and the commission is investigating allegations that the airlines might then quote different prices depending on where they live.
An EU spokesman said this difference for identical tickets can range from €200 for a domestic European flight to 300 per cent for international journeys.
He added that low cost carriers such as Ryanair and Easyjet did not appear to use the same practices.
The airlines have been asked to respond to the commission's letter by February 29 2004.
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