Flightsbank Travel Agency - ********** and misleading advertising

To whom it may concern at the following airlines.

I have sent an email to the concerned airlines asking them to take action. – false advertising and reneging 4 times on an offer in 9 days! Flightsbank as a booking agent is using airline brands as part of an ongoing False advertising campaign that is designed to secure passenger bookings, sends an email confirming but no ticket is issued. They then wait a day or so and then contact you to say that the price is not available but they can give you a ticket at a higher price. They are not afraid of being reported and advised me that it won’t get me anywhere. This is the approximate sequence of events;

1. Advertise London /JNB return £652 issue confirmation but no ticket issued 2. Email back to say not available but can offer £899 ticket as lowest available 3. At same time I go back online and a ticket is advertised for £752 which is confirmed 4. Email back to say not available but can offer £899 ticket as lowest available 5. At same time I go back online and a ticket is advertised for £732 which is confirmed 6. Email back to say not available but can offer £899 ticket as lowest available 7. At same time I go back online and a ticket is advertised for £739 which is confirmed 8. Email back to say not available but can offer £899 ticket as lowest available

Each time they use the airlines as part of the false advertising to secure customer details, and then use the information to try and pressure you into buying the more expensive ticket advising that no one is cheaper. The legality is not who is cheaper or if £899 is still the cheapest, but even that would probably have changed. It is that 4 times they advertised cheaper prices, confirmed but then never issued the ticket and used the information to up-sell. Then then compromised and offered a ticket at £752 which was accepted, but never issued it. This is false, misleading, and putting the airline in a bad light.

When I argued the false advertising and insisted on them honoring the £652 flight they sent me an email offering me a deal at £752 which I accepted and told them to issue. Email correspondence advises me a number of times to be patient as it is at ticket issuing. Eventually I lose patience (maybe the tactic) go online and book again for £739. They jump at the opportunity to advise all bookings cancelled and once again, they advise it’s not available and offer the best price of £899 return.

They seem to have no fear of reprisal from the airlines or airline authority – even sent me an email where they tell me it will “get me nowhere reporting them”. One day its booked, the next day its cancelled. Each time I processed payment. They have not debited my card but the tactic is to suck passengers in and then up-sell. This conduct is disgusting, false, immoral and lacks integrity and discredits the brands of the airlines they involve. These include in only 9 days: • Egypt Air • Emirates • Swissair • Lufthansa • Kenya Airlines

Having seen how airlines are fined for false advertising, I would like to think that at least one of them will take action and address this agent and their conduct and at least one airline will step forward and honor the original price I was quoted of £652. It is the honorable thing to do. I am reporting them to all the airlines personally and the relevant Booking agency authorities in the USA, the BBB in Illinois dealing with harmful business practice, IATA in the UK and anywhere else they operate, plus going public with this scandal, including Trip Advisor, and others. Fortunately I have copies and screen shots of all correspondence. Hope this prevents anyone else being led down the garden path and that the airlines blacklist them. It's clearly a ********** and ********ly operated bucket shop. Don't in any way deal with them.