AGCM

The Italian Competition Authority (“ICA”) concluded six investigations on online travel agencies and comparison websites including: www.it.lastminute.com , www.volagratis.com , www.opodo.it , www.govolo.it , www.edreams.it and www.gotogate.it .

The investigations were initiated based on complaints received from consumer associations and on results of Sweep 2016, consisting in the verification of 352 EU travel comparison websites coordinated by the European Commission.

The ICA found that the information provided by the said websites on the responsibilities of the company offering the brokerage service, the identity of the platform for hotel reservations and discount criteria was not sufficiently transparent nor immediately understandable to consumers and hindered the exercise of their rights.

The complaints also concerned the application of credit card surcharges based on the type of payment card used to purchase flights. Thus the fight continues against a practice that hampers the development of e-commerce and imposes transaction costs consumers cannot avoid unless they settle for less convenient forms of purchase and payment.

In some cases, increased rate post-sales telephone assistance numbers and the lack of email contacts for effective consumer-provider communications were also considered illegal.

As a result of the investigations, administrative pecuniary sanctions totalling 4 million euros were imposed on the operators involved in said violations.

Rome, 16 January 2018