Airlines' cheap tickets are under scrutiny by the European Commission. This is because airlines add controversial 'add on' charges to cheap tickets bought by customers, burdening them with unknown expenses.
The practise of selling cheap tickets with hidden charges also faces criticism by the UK consumer groups. Budget airlines that are actually known to charge less airfare are using hidden charges to maximize profitability.
Siim Kallas, a European commission vice-president and the organisation's transport commissioner says that baggage charges, credit and debit card fees plus airport check-in fees that were initially included in the basic fare, are now being treated as different components. This is unfair to customers buying cheap tickets hoping to save on air travel.
Undertaking a new study, Kallas is examining whether EU rules regarding cheap tickets need to be amended. His findings will be reported this autumn with legislative action expected next year.

A sponsored travel to Israel is on the cards of 81 lawmakers. American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF) affiliated to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is sponsoring the travel to Israel wherein it will pay for two trips of the GOP members and one trip of the Democrats. This travel to Israel will help strengthen the strong relation between the US and Israel, says Ari Goldberg from AIPAC.
AIEF is a privately funded non-profit organisation, hence no US or Israeli tax dollars are being used to pay for the trips. Currently 26 democrats are in Israel. GOP members will travel to Israel in the following two weeks. While the cost per member is not being revealed yet, it is known that six hours are being spent daily on substantive discussions and interactions with the Israeli lawmakers and the learned.

A unique Israel trip has been designed especially for Jewish students at Swarthmore College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This summer, students have the opportunity to spend 10 days exploring their relationship to the country in a one-of-a-kind alternative break trip that is designed to engage with issues of social justice in Israeli society.

The trip will mix volunteer work in community gardens projects of a local Ethiopian Israeli immigrant community, exploration of Bedouin communities, and discussion of the complexities of Jerusalem, while also building connections to organizations in Israel that are working to create just communities. Students will meet with representatives from various NGOs working on social justice issues in the Ethiopian, Bedouin and Arab Israeli communities. The cost for students is on a sliding scale from $250 -$300, and students are expected to attend orientation sessions leading up tot the trip.