Travel agencies face rectified terms for online air ticket sales

South Korea’s antitrust watchdog announced on Tuesday that it reviewed and rectified unfair terms and conditions for online sales of international airline tickets by the country’s eight travel agencies.

A notable unfair term was the clause stating that the sale of international airline tickets is allowed outside of business hours, such as on weekends, holidays, or weekdays after 5 p.m., but cancellation services are not provided during these times. This clause led to issues where cancellation fees could be incurred if the actual cancellation was processed after the customer expressed the intention to cancel.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) also deemed a clause stating that it would take 20 to 90 days from the date of application to receive a refund after the cancellation of a ticket is confirmed unfair.

In response, the travel agencies revised their terms to shorten the refund period to within 15 days and notify customers individually in case of delays, according to the FTC.

Additionally, 16 major international airlines, including Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc., reflected the FTC’s suggestions and reformed their systems to allow free cancellations within 24 hours for tickets issued via travel agencies.