Do you want to fly abroad for Lm17? According to the advert you can – but can you? No, you cannot. Do you want to go to Prague and back for Lm55, Dubai for Lm199, or Tunisia for Lm17? According to the advert you can but there is no way on earth that you can leave Malta by air without paying departure tax, airport charges and – in some cases – Visas, which may add up to an amount approaching and sometimes exceeding the actual air fare.

Does this constitute misleading advertising? “No”, says the Department for Consumer Protection, even though the consumer price must include all taxes and must show the actual price to be paid by the consumer.

This is because the advert shows – in very small print – that the price does not include taxes and airport charges.

Can a retailer show the price of a TV set net of Eco-Tax, VAT, etc when displaying the set in his window just to attract the consumer’s attention? Is it fair to place the consumer in the position of having to ask how much the air fare is actually going to cost?

We, the consumers, deserve to be treated better by our national airline and also by all operators who, after all, exist only through our custom and we should always know exactly how much we are paying and what we are getting for our money.

Maybe one of our MEPs can enlighten us as to what rights Joe Citizen has in this regard under EU Laws and Regulations.

Manuel Zammit

San Gwann