AirAsia has been caught out charging Darwin children an extra $60, for a government charge they’re not required to pay.
All passengers leaving Australia are required to pay a Passenger Movement Charge of $60, however children under the age of 12 are exempt.
Despite having a separate section to book children’s seats, the breakdown of fares, taxes and fees on the airline’s website is the same for both an adult and a child.
On Jetstar’s website, the breakdown shows children are charged $60 less than adults.
AirAsia could not explain the extra charge yesterday.
A spokesperson for the airline said it was “currently investigating the matter in question”.
They would not say where the extra money was going.
AirAsia does not include the Passenger Movement Charge for children on flights out of Sydney.
It’s understood Darwin is serviced by AirAsia Indonesia, while Sydney is serviced by AirAsia X.
Stuart Park resident Thomas Sawyer said he came across the discrepancy when he was booking flights to Bali for a family holiday.
“I travel frequently so I’m used to paying the charge, but then I went to buy my son’s ticket and realised it cost the same as mine,” he said.
“Families are not normally frequent travellers and they could easily buy these tickets without realising they’re paying for a charge they don’t have to pay.”
Mr Sawyer said he tried to contact AirAsia, only to be told to send them the details of his tickets.
“They appear to be taking the attitude of those who follow it up will get a refund, those who don’t, they get to keep the money,” he said.
“That’s entirely deceitful. If I said I was going to sell you something, and had to charge you a government tax, then you later discovered there was no tax, that would be called fraud.”
An Australian Competition and Consumer Commission spokesman said the overcharging could be illegal. “If a business includes a reference to a tax or fee that is not imposed, then this could raise concerns under the Australian Consumer Law,” the spokesman said.