It used to be, telecom companies were the most notorious for the fine print – a 10 word ad followed by an essay, a sea of legal nonsense, usually ending with a statement that says, anything that was missed in the fine print could still be included as a disclaimer. None-the-less, today, the worst offender has, without a doubt, got to be the airlines, most notably Air Canada. It used to be, when you saw an advertised rate, the rate was all-in, and was a 2-way fare – makes sense, since there’s now way out of any of the additional costs, unless you might not be returning home. But seriously, who books 1-way trips. We might want to, but inevitably, we (the royal “we) generally book 2-way trips, knowing, at some point, we will come home.
So how is it, Air Canada still gets away with advertising like the one in today’s paper. “Europe is on sale now”. At a quick glance, Toronto to London is $199. Sounds great. But that’s one way and without airport fees. The rule of thumb in deciphering these misleading ads is to TRIPLE the stated price. So the flight is actually $600 (assuming you’re coming home). But wait, there’s even MORE fine print. “Fares displayed do not include fuel surcharge of up to $150 each way”. Seriously? That’s an additional $400, stuck in the fine print. Can I opt out of the surcharge? Skip it? Not pay it? Wash dishes for it? NO, likely not.
So, what caught my eye was $199 to London, when in fact, this trip will actually cost around $1,000. Maybe that’s still a deal, maybe not. Hardly the point.
I Call it Like I See It 
