The consumers' association Which? says the UK's largest travel firm could be breaking the law because of the way it promotes some deals. The BBC has found that Thomson, owned by TUI Travel, ran an advert suggesting only a few seats were left on a flight. It then released more seats that were offered at a much lower price. The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) said there could be more clarity in the way some offers were advertised.

Mike O'Keeffe, who runs a dry cleaning business in Bristol, contacted the BBC after he felt he had been misled when purchasing seats for family members on a Thomson flight to Florida. He booked two seats in early August to fly later this month, paying £496 per person after seeing the words "hurry only 3 seats left" next to the price. But the next day he found that more seats had become available. They are currently selling for £411 on the same plane to the same destination.

''When my sister-in-law said she'd like to come too, I checked to see if the last seat was still there and it was," Mr O'Keeffe said.
"I then checked to see exactly how many seats were left and I could book up to eight. "I felt very aggrieved, because I was pressured into buying those seats when in fact more were available, and they are now being sold for a lower price,'' Mr O'Keeffe added.

Explanation

TUI Travel, which owns Thomson, told the BBC that the majority of its holidays were sold on seven and 14 night durations. ''When the initial booking was made we had very limited availability on the specific duration chosen," the travel firm said. "After the booking was made, our seat availability was reviewed and it became apparent that....Read more about this story----> BBC News - Travel firm Thomson may be breaking law, Which? says