Wanting to see the Northern Lights, an elderly couple in Singapore booked a tour package to Europe. To make the long journey more comfortable, they opted to upgrade their flight seats to premium economy and was told by the travel agency that they had to pay an additional $2,800 per person.
The couple had opted for a seat upgrade because they were old and it was difficult for them to sit for long periods of time.Wanting to see the Northern Lights, an elderly couple in Singapore booked a tour package to Europe.
To make the long journey more comfortable, they opted to upgrade their flight seats to premium economy and was told by the travel agency that they had to pay an additional $2,800 per person.Xu, 60, signed up for the tour package with her husband and daughter in February 2025 through a travel agency recommended by a friend, reported Shin Min Daily News on Wednesday . The tour, which covered Finland, Norway, and Sweden, was scheduled to start on Oct 10, but was brought forward by a day. As it was a long-haul flight, Xu and her husband asked the travel agency to help upgrade their seats on Finnair to premium economy. The agency told them that this would cost an additional $2,800 per person. "Although I found the fees to be high, my husband and I are getting on in years. It is difficult for us to sit for long periods of time," Xu recounted.After the trip, however, she found that Finnair's round-trip premium economy tickets for the same travel period were sold at $2,000 per person. While the tour package already included the airfare, the seat upgrade required them to pay an amount nearly equivalent to another air ticket, she told the Chinese daily."I am not asking for a refund. I just want the travel agency to provide a breakdown of the airfare and seat upgrade fees," she said.In response to Shin Min Daily News' queries, a representative from the travel agency said the prices were clearly explained to the customer and denied that it had been unfair or lacked transparency in its practices. They also pointed out that the couple had only compared flight ticket prices after completing the trip. "We showed the customers ticket prices for other departure dates, and some of the listed prices were higher than what they were willing to pay. It also showed them that airfare pricing was dynamic," the representative explained.CASE confirmed with the Chinese daily that they had received a complaint and said it is common practice for travel agencies to charge extra for changes to itineraries. They explained that group air tickets are usually negotiated and obtained by travel agencies and airlines in bulk, and are subject to specific fare terms and conditions. Travel agencies, however, are required to communicate additional fees or charges to customers before trips begin.
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