Consumer / Charges / Post-purchase price increase

Post-purchase price increase

As a rule, airlines cannot increase the price of a ticket after you’ve paid for it. The only exception is if there has been an increase in government-imposed taxes or fees, or fees imposed by the Commission.

Illustration 1

Ali purchased a Business class ticket to New Zealand from XYZ Airline’s website. The amount stated at the final confirmation page was RM800.

One week later, XYZ Airline sent an email to Ali informing him there was a system error and his ticket was cancelled. The airline further explained that the actual price of the ticket is actually RM12,000.

Can Ali request the airline to honour his ticket?

The airline cannot charge Ali for the actual price of the ticket and at the same time, Ali cannot ask the airline to honour the ticket price of RM12,000.

Illustration 2

Hani purchased a ticket to Hong Kong from XYZ Airline’s website. The amount stated at the final confirmation page was RM1,500. At the point of check-in, XYZ Airline requested Hani to pay an additional amount of RM500. The airline explained that there has been a system glitch and the actual price of the ticket is RM2,000.

Is Hani required to pay the balance of RM500?

Hani is not required to pay the balance of RM500, and the airline has the right to cancel the ticket due to the system error. However, as the issue was only identified at the airport, the airline may allow Hani to continue with her journey out of a goodwill basis.

For more information, please refer to the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code 2016 (MACPC) – Part II, Paragraph 4: Minimum Service Level and Standards of Performance For Airlines and Aerodrome Operators – Prohibition on Post-Purchase Price Increase.

You may also refer to our short animated video below on this topic: