Continental, US Airways fined over ads

Continental Airlines has been fined $120,000 and US Airways Group Inc. fined $45,000 for violating Department of Transportation price advertising rules.

The department requires airlines to include the full price to be paid by passengers when advertising fares, including all surcharges, taxes and fees.

US Airways was fined for advertising $659 fares to Rome on its Internet home page, but not directly providing information to customers on additional taxes and fees that applied to the listed fares, the government said.

Continental was fined for excluding fuel surcharges in its listed fares.

"Protecting the rights of airline consumers is a high priority for the Department of Transportation," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

"Passengers have the right to know how much they will have to pay when they buy an airline ticket, and we will continue to take enforcement action when these rules are violated."

US Airways responded that any consumer confusion was "inadvertent" and that it had immediately revised its website to address the department's concerns and had "fully cooperated."    - Linda Loyd