The Department of Transportation on Thursday separately fined Continental Airlines and US Airways for violating the DOT's fare-display rules.
Continental was assessed a civil penalty of $120,000 and US Airways $45,000, but Continental was ordered to pay half now, with the proviso that the remainder would be waived if the carrier commits no similar violations for one year. US Airways was ordered to pay its full penalty in 30 days.
The DOT said a review of Continental's website revealed instances in which the carrier failed to include fuel surcharges in its listed fares. Consumers selecting flights from their nearest airport were shown a base fare that excluded fuel surcharges, and it was only on the third page selected that they were shown the full fare including the surcharge, the DOT said.
In one example, a fare from San Jose, Calif., to San Salvador, El Salvador, was shown as $298 on the first two pages, but was listed as $538 once the fuel surcharge was added on the third page, the DOT said.
Continental stated that the "inadvertent technology failures" of its website "were promptly and fully corrected," according to the consent order. Continental accepted the ruling but did not confirm or deny any wrongdoing.
Earlier this year, US Airways' home page advertised fares to Rome for $659, the DOT said, with an asterisk next to the fare and a statement that additional taxes and fees might apply.
Although the reference to taxes and fees included a hyperlink, as is allowed under DOT rules, the link did not take the reader directly to an explanation of the additional charges. The DOT said readers had to scroll to the bottom of the page.
US Airways said it promptly revised its website to address the DOT's concerns, but the airline disputed any wrongdoing.