The Transportation Department has issued another directive on airfare advertising to airlines and travel sellers, specifying that when fares are rounded off to whole dollar amounts, they must be rounded up, not down.
In a industry letter clarifying its full-fare advertising rule, which requires that all taxes and mandatory fees be included in all published prices, the DOT said it has noted that some websites are rounding down, while some are rounding up.
According to the DOT, it is deceptive to round down, so it is advising airlines and travel sellers to display or publish the exact amount or an amount that is rounded up.
The DOT added that “sellers rounding up in their advertisements may sell the ticket at the exact fare when a purchase is made.”
The advertising policy applies to all air travel and all packages that include air travel. The DOT said it will give industry parties a 60-day grace period to revise their procedures before it initiates any enforcement actions on rounding.