U.S. FINES TAIWAN'S CHINA AIRLINES FOR BREAKING AD PRICE RULES

The DOT said it requires any advertising that includes a price for air transport to state the full price consumers will have to pay.

The department said that if taxes and other fees are listed separately, an advertisement of an fare must clearly disclose that the price does not include such charges and should list the amounts involved.

It added that for Internet listings, these charges should be disclosed through prominent links next to the stated fare and it noted that the rules apply to both U.S. and foreign carriers and ticket agents.

However, the department's Aviation Enforcement Office found that an advertisement displayed on the CAL website did not provide any information on additional taxes and fees, including a security fee of US$2.5 (NT$72.5) per passenger that has been implemented since October 2003, the DOT said.

As a result, the department said, consumers were not aware of the full amount they had to pay until they came to purchase the tickets. The advertisements were deemed deceptive and in violation of the department's rules.

"When passengers shop for air tickets, they have a right to know the full price they'll be paying," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.

"We take our airline price advertising rules seriously and expect carriers to comply with them."

Under the current rules, the only exception is for government-imposed taxes and fees that are assessed on a per-passenger basis, such as passenger facility charges, although even this exception will end on Oct. 24.

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