Feb 28 (Reuters) - Australia's Webjet Group WJL.AX settled court proceedings against its unit on Friday, proposing an A$9 million ($5.61 million) fine to resolve allegations that the online travel agency misled consumers about flight prices and bookings.
In November 2024, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) took Webjet to court alleging its unit, Webjet Marketing, breached consumer law by omitting details about compulsory fees from the minimum airfare prices advertised on its website, social media and emails between 2018 and 2023.
Webjet and the regulator will make joint submissions to the court requiring the travel agency to pay the proposed penalty of A$9 million and even pay the regulator A$100,000 in costs.
The proposed penalty will be recognised as an expense in its full-year income statement, which will be released in May.
The settlement agreement is subject to the Federal Court's orders, Webjet said.
($1 = 1.6041 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)
((Sameer.Manekar@thomsonreuters.com))
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