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EasyJet and the owner of British Airways have accused the European Union of driving up the cost of flying by imposing new restrictions on Google.
The two firms said a competition law shake-up forcing changes to the dominant search engine meant passengers had been diverted to fee-charging travel agents.
EasyJet said the changes were “impacting our ability to offer customers the best value and service” and “exposes our customers to potential overcharges”.
International Airlines Group (IAG), which owns British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus, also said the shake-up meant passengers were vulnerable to “unexpected fees”.
The EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into effect last year, forced Google to drop its flights tool, which allowed users to enter dates and compare prices within its main search results.
Instead, the tech giant must now display travel search engines such as Skyscanner, Kayak and Expedia as potential options alongside its own tool.
Web sales ‘diluted’ by shake-up
While Google stopped charging airlines a commission in 2020, other travel search engines make their money by asking airlines and agents to pay a commission, which carriers say can raise ticket prices.
Airlines prefer passengers to book flights directly through their websites, as it helps them to avoid paying such additional fees. Experts also say the method is generally cheaper for consumers.
The carriers highlighted the EU changes in their responses to a consultation from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is investigating Google’s grip on the search engine market.
EasyJet said: “The DMA-induced changes in the EU led to a significant shift in traffic from Google Flights to other vertical search services such as online travel agencies and metasearch engines.
“This shift has diluted easyJet’s direct web sales, impacting our ability to offer customers the best value and service.”
The carrier said some travel search engines had misrepresented its prices and that this “exposes our customers to potential overcharges, especially for additional services like baggage”.
‘Bait and switch’ pricing
IAG said some online travel agents had employed “bait and switch” pricing, in which they lure in passengers by advertising a low price on Google’s search results but then add unexpected fees.
Google told the CMA that the EU’s restrictions had meant “airlines, hotels and small retailers now find it harder than before to reach customers”.
The CMA is considering whether to assign Google “strategic market status”, a designation that could lead to the regulator imposing conduct requirements on the company in an attempt to boost competition.