Orbitz Flight Fee Class Action

A class action lawsuit filed in New York Supreme Court accuses Orbitz Worldwide of charging undisclosed fees for airline tickets using “bait and switch” tactics.

According to the Orbitz flight fee class action lawsuit, an investigation into consumer complaints against Orbitz found that as of November 4, 2010, there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of consumers who share the same complaint over Orbitz’s alleged false and misleading advertising practices, including its ‘bait and switch” practices, detailed by the lead plaintiff in the suit.

Plaintiff Francis Shea alleges in the Orbitz class action that he booked two round-trip Business Class tickets to Tahiti through Orbitz that was repeatedly quoted both online and by an Orbitz telephone agent as being $2,414.00 per person. Within two minutes of paying for the flight, however, Shea received an email confirmation from Orbitz of the flight information booked and paid for that showed only the first leg of the flight was First Class, but the remainder of the trip was Economy or Coach. Shea immediately contacted Orbitz about the error and was advised by a supervisor that there was a mistake in the confirmation and it would be corrected. However, not only were the flights never corrected, but Shea was also charged an additional $10.80 per person without any explanation for this additional charge.

Despite months and countless phone calls to Orbitz to correct the flight and billing mistake that numerous Orbitz agents and supervisors confirmed had been made, Orbitz, to this day, has refused and failed to correct his flight to confirm that all legs of the flight are Business Class as originally booked unless Shea pays an up-charge of approximately $2,500.00 per ticket. The up charge, the lawsuit says, has continued to increase and is now approximately $4,000.00 per ticket.

“[Orbitz] repeatedly engages in the practice of advertising flight and vacation prices that [Orbitz] cannot, and never intended to honor; refuses to refund consumers’ their monies upon demand and thereby forces the consumer, who does not want to lose the monies previously paid to [Orbitz], to pay additional monies for flights or vacation deals,” the class action states.

A copy of the Orbitz Flight Fee Class Action Lawsuit can be read here.