Airlines blasted by ministers for hoodwinking passengers so they pay more to sit together
Category : Money , News Money
AIRLINES were blasted by ministers yesterday for “hoodwinking” families by using “cynical and exploitative” computer programmes to charge them more for booking seats together.
Digital Minister Margot James blasted their “temerity” for using online tools that ripped customers off.
Alamy Airlines have come under attack after it was revealed that they charge more for families who want to sit together[/caption]
She confirmed authorities were now looking at cracking down on the practice of using algorithms to recognise family names on booking sites.
The practice costs travellers around £400m extra per year.
Ms James said the new Institute for Data Ethics and Innovation would launch a probe into airlines who use the algorithms.
She told the Commons Communications Committee: “In the aviation sector, algorithms are employed in terms of allocating seats on aircraft and with some airlines they’ve set an algorithm to identify passengers with the same surname travelling together.
PA:Press Association Digital Minister Margot James branded computer algorithms used by some airlines ‘cynical and exploitative’[/caption]
“They’ve had the temerity to split the passengers up around the plane and when the family want to travel together they are then charged more.
“That is an example of a very cynical exploitative means of deploying algorithms to hoodwink the general public, which I trust the CMA and the new Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation are I trust going to get on top of.”
She also revealed some energy and telecoms firms were pushing up tariffs for people who they considered unlikely to switch.
She said the Government would be looking at curbs to tackle problem online gambling in an upcoming White Paper.
Getty – Contributor The Government are set to look into companies which use algorithms in hope of tackling the issue of hoodwinking[/caption]
MOST READ IN MONEY
FIZZ-TASTIC
Aldi's massive £80 six litre bottle of Prosecco goes on sale this week
TAKE NOTE
Warning as fake £20 notes flood Scotland ‘in time for Christmas shopping’
LITTLE STAR
Sainsbury's Christmas advert may bring a tear to your eye
TOO HOT?
Morrisons selling pizza topped with ghost chilli sauce and Carolina reaper cheese
FIRESTARTER
Morrisons' new curry uses a chilli that is 200 times hotter than a Jalapeño
PARKING LOTTERY
Airport parking can cost up to THREE times more than the cheapest depending on where you are
She added: “We are looking at online gambling indeed.
“We recognise that the online environment can exacerbate somebody’s gambling instincts and there are areas where gambling is introduced perhaps where perhaps it wouldn’t have occurred before.
“All of these things conspire to create a bigger problem which we are definitely addressing as part of the development of the white paper.”
GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL [email protected]