Decision of the Competition Council of the Hungarian Competition Authority (Gazdasági Versenyhivatal - GVH) Vj-74/2006: SkyEurope Airlines Hungary Kft.

The Competition Council of the Hungarian Competition Authority (Gazdasági Versenyhivatal - GVH) established in its decision, issued on 25 October 2006, that SkyEurope Airlines Hungary Kft., an undertaking active on the market of the provision of "low-cost" flight tickets, infringed the provisions on the prohibition of unfair manipulation of consumer choice of the Hungarian Competition Act.

In the competition supervision proceedings the Competition Council of the GVH concluded that the advertisements of SkyEurope Airlines were misleading consumers because it only stated the price of the flight ticket, but omitted to indicate that other fees, taxes, etc. also have to be covered in order to purchase a flight ticket. In certain advertisements in which SkyEurope Airlines indicated that these additional sums also have to be to paid the text was written with practically unobservably small letters, thus preventing the consumer to perceive essential conditions of his flight ticket purchase. Furthermore, SkyEurope`s advertisement slogan "the most flights at the best price" was deemed to be unlawful as the undertaking, despite its burden of proof, did not demonstrate the truthfulness of this statement.

The Competition Council of the GVH imposed a fine of HUF 50 million (approx. EUR 181.800) on SkyEurope Airlines Hungary Kft. for its unlawful behaviour.

Budapest, 25 October, 2006

Hungarian Competition Authority
Communication Group

Further information:
András Mihálovits
Hungarian Competition Authority
1054 Budapest, V., Alkotmány u.5.
1245 Budapest, 5. Pf. 1036
tel: +36-30 618-6618
e-mail: Mihalovits.Andras@gvh.hu
http://www.gvh.hu