DOT Fines BusinessJet Class for Violations of Code-Share Disclosure Rules

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) fined the online ticket agent BusinessJet Class $40,000 for failing to adequately disclose to consumers when flights were being operated under a code-share arrangement. Consumers buying tickets for air travel have the right to know which airline will be operating their flights, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. We will continue to ensure that airlines and ticket agents comply with our code-share rules. Under code-sharing, an airline will sell tickets on flights that use its designator code, but are operated by a separate airline. DOT rules require airlines and ticket agents to disclose to consumers, before they book a flight, if the flight is operated under a code-share arrangement. The disclosure must include the corporate name of the transporting carrier and any other name under which the flight is offered to the public. Under a new law, when tickets are purchased on the Internet, code-share information must be easily viewable on the first display of a website following a search for flights corresponding to a desired itinerary. An investigation by the Departments Aviation Enforcement Office found that for a period of time during the latter half of 2010, BusinessJet failed to properly disclose code-share arrangements when it advertised on its Internet site flights being operated on behalf of a major airline by a regional carrier. BusinessJets listings did not include the corporate names of the carriers or other names under which those flights were advertised to the public.