The Competition and Markets Authority of the United Kingdom (CMA, for its acronym in English) has announced the opening of two investigations against Virgin Atlantic and Trainline for an alleged concealment of mandatory charges that, according to the agency, should be included in the prices shown to customers when booking tickets or vacation packages.
This move is part of a broader offensive by the regulator against misleading pricing practices, especially those in which essential surcharges are separated from the amount advertised at the beginning or are added later during the purchasing process, a strategy known as "tiered pricing."
As noted in a statement, this type of practice can also distort competition between companies, as "a company that uses tiered pricing may falsely appear cheaper than a competitor and attract more customers."
Focus on Trainline's fees
In the case of Trainline, the CMA is analyzing whether all mandatory fees have been correctly incorporated into the amounts shown to users who purchase train and bus tickets in advance through its app and website.
For train journeys, the British regulator has detected operations with additional charges ranging from £0.59 to £2.79. Regarding bus bookings, the management fee amounted to £1.50. According to the CMA, these amounts can represent a significant cost for those who travel frequently.
Review of Virgin Atlantic's packages
In parallel, the investigation into Virgin Atlantic will focus on verifying whether mandatory tourist fees and local taxes have been included in the final prices of the vacation packages offered by the airline. "These fees vary, but they can cost hundreds of pounds and significantly increase the price of vacations," the British Competition Authority has pointed out.
Both investigations begin with an initial phase of data collection and evidence that will last, in principle, until January 2027. The CMA emphasizes that it is in the early stages of analysis and has not yet reached any conclusion on whether the companies have violated the regulations or not.
In the event that, at the end of the process, the agency determines that a violation of consumer protection legislation has occurred, it could impose economic sanctions and require companies to make refunds to those affected.