123miles: Ticket without date is just travel expectation – 08/23/2023 – Market

Selling trips with no date set, and which many times have not even been priced by the final providers within market conditions, is impractical, says Braztoa (Brazilian Association of Tour Operators).

“When there is the commercialization of tourist products and services with open dates, as has been happening in some situations, it means that, effectively, there is no reservation, confirmation of places or guarantee of values ​​at the time of payment”, argues the entity.

“In these cases, in practice, the consumer may have acquired only an expectation of the trip, and not the trip itself, which could result in future losses”, he adds.

The entity’s alert comes days after 123milhas announced the suspension of tickets and packages of the “Promo” line scheduled for the period from September to December of this year. With the announcement, the company is being investigated by Senacon (National Consumer Secretariat), of the Ministry of Justice.

On the 123milhas “Promo” line, customers can buy tickets and travel packages with flexible dates. The consumer chooses the period in which he wants to travel, with the possibility that his flight is 24 hours before or 24 hours after the chosen day. Prices are well below those found in the market.

wanted by Sheet123milhas said that the “Promo” line offers tickets with prices below the maximum or average values ​​of the market, “for ticket issuance at times when the fare fluctuates down”.

According to the company, it uses technology so that customers can find more competitive prices.

Braztoa recalls that the function of tour operators and agencies is to intermediate services and products to the consumer, presenting the best options that are already on the market, not creating prices. Therefore, tickets and packages that are much cheaper than the products offered by most tourism sites and airlines are not viable.

“Most of the products and services intermediated, both by operators and by travel agencies, are restricted to rules and values ​​transferred by the final service provider”, says the association.

“Therefore, it becomes impracticable to sell tour packages with values ​​that are too much below those practiced by the market, or even, priced too far in the future, especially for periods in which there are not even prices published or made available for sale, as it will be the service providers finals that will inform the minimum value”, he adds.

Among the final providers listed by the entity are hotels and inns, airlines and transfer and tour companies.

The association draws attention to the fact that there is no legislation regulating this type of trade, which makes it difficult for consumers to be aware of its risks.

According to 123milhas, the temporary suspension of the “Promo” line happened after the “persistence of adverse market circumstances” beyond the control of the company, such as “the high pressure of demand for flights, which keeps fares high even in low season, and high interest rate”.

Another company that also sold trips with flexible dates and that was recently the target of action by the Ministry of Justice is Hurb (formerly Hotel Urbano), which received a large number of complaints after cancellations of reservations in hotels and inns. Latam even suspended the sale of tickets on the company’s website, due to a debt of R$ 13.6 million.

In the action against the company, the Ministry of Justice decided to prohibit the sale of flexible packages by Hurb.

Understand the 123miles crisis

123milhas announced the suspension of tickets and packages on Friday (18). In place of the scheduled service, the company has been offering customers vouchers to purchase travel, tickets or accommodation on the site.

Consumers, however, complained about the measure, as prices for the same destinations are costing twice as much. Complaints against the company rose over the weekend. Only at Procon-SP (Foundation for Consumer Protection and Defense) there were more than a thousand complaints.

According to experts in consumer law, the Consumer Protection Code establishes three options in cases like this. It is possible to request a new ticket, accept the purchase certificate or request a refund. The dissatisfied customer can complain to the company, Procon, consumer.gov.br or file a lawsuit in court.