UK watchdog investigates Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and Red over pricing displays
The UK Competition and Markets Authority has opened investigations into three companies over concerns that customers were shown prices that did not include all mandatory fees.
In short
- The UK Competition and Markets Authority has opened investigations into three companies over concerns that customers were shown prices that did not include all mandatory fees.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has opened investigations into Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and Red Driving School over concerns that their customers were shown misleadingly low prices, according to a report published on August 19, 2026.
The inquiries form part of a wider enforcement drive against “drip pricing,” in which mandatory charges are omitted from the price first presented to a customer and added later in the purchase process. The practice can make a product or service appear cheaper at the start of a transaction.
The opening of an investigation does not by itself establish that any company broke the law. The watchdog will examine the companies’ pricing displays and whether mandatory fees were presented clearly to consumers.
