The EU wants to end fake cheap flights. Airlines would have to show the real price.

The EU wants airlines to show you the real price of your flight before you click "buy." No more €19.99 fares that become €87 at checkout. It's Monday, 22 June. Twenty-seven degrees. Here's what you need to know.

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THE EU WANTS TO END FAKE CHEAP FLIGHTS. AIRLINES WOULD HAVE TO SHOW THE REAL PRICE UPFRONT.

The European Parliament and Council have backed a new proposal that would force airlines to display the total cost of a flight at the point of first listing. Every fee, every charge, every add-on that is required to actually board the aircraft would need to be included in the price you see before you click.

If you have ever booked a Ryanair flight to Porto and watched the fare climb from €19.99 to €87 by the time you added a carry-on bag, selected a seat so you could sit next to the person you're travelling with, and paid the fee for not checking in 47 days in advance, you understand why this legislation exists.

The proposal covers all flights departing from or arriving in the EU. Airlines would be required to separate optional extras (priority boarding, extra legroom, meals) from mandatory costs (taxes, fuel surcharges, unavoidable booking fees). The total mandatory cost is what must be displayed as the headline fare. Optional extras can be offered separately but cannot be pre-selected or bundled in a way that inflates the price at checkout.

The legislation also targets what consumer groups call "dark patterns" in airline booking flows: pre-ticked insurance boxes, confusing seat selection menus, and the practice of charging different prices for the same seat depending on which device you're booking from. Airlines would be required to offer a clear, comparable price that means the same thing regardless of whether you're booking on a phone, a laptop, or through a third-party platform.

For budget carriers, this changes the business model. The low headline fare that draws you in is the entire marketing strategy. If Ryanair has to show you the real cost of getting from Lisbon to London with a bag and a seat, the fare looks less like a bargain and more like a regular flight at a regular price. The airlines have lobbied against the proposal. Consumer groups have lobbied for it. The EU sided with the passengers.

The timeline for implementation has not been finalised, but the legislative framework is expected to be adopted before the end of 2026, with enforcement beginning in 2027 or 2028.

For anyone who flies in and out of Lisbon regularly (which is most of the readership), the practical impact is straightforward: what you see will be what you pay. The days of the phantom €19.99 fare are numbered.

Bottom line: The EU is making airlines show you the real price. If the legislation passes as proposed, the cheapest fare on the screen will be the actual cheapest fare. That shouldn't be revolutionary, but apparently it is.

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🍽️ SPOT OF THE DAY

CAFÉ BUENOS AIRES (CALÇADA DO DUQUE)

On the cobbled steps of Calçada do Duque, between Rossio and Bairro Alto, with the Castelo de São Jorge lit up above and candles flickering on every table, there is an Argentine restaurant owned by a Portuguese-Argentine couple who met in Paris. That sentence tells you everything about the kind of evening you're walking into.

Café Buenos Aires has been on these steps for over 15 years. The interior is 1930s bohemian: wood-paneled walls, tango posters, dim lighting, and the feeling that someone might start dancing between the tables at any moment. On weekends, someone occasionally does. The outdoor terrace sits on the calçada itself, with views up toward the castle and blankets provided when the evening cools.

The menu is Argentine with Portuguese touches. The flank steak (bife de chorizo) is the dish that built the reputation: tender, generous, and cooked over a proper grill. The empanadas are handmade and the starter most tables order twice. Fresh pasta is made in-house. The French tartines (a nod to where the owners met) are the lighter option. The chocolate cake with dulce de leche is the finish. Dishes run €12-22. Tapas and empanadas around €6-8. For what you get, the value is real.

Lonely Planet called it "a boho multinational gem." Restaurant Guru gives it 4.5 from over 3,750 reviews. The consistent praise is for the food, the atmosphere, and the warmth of the service."

The honest notes: cash only (no cards, no exceptions, there's an ATM nearby on Calçada do Carmo). Book ahead or arrive at 6pm when the doors open. Service slows when the room fills. And some reviewers note the steaks arrive one level rarer than ordered, so adjust accordingly.

→ Argentine steaks on a Lisbon hillside. Candles, castle views, and cash only. Find them here ←

Between Rossio and Bairro Alto, on Calçada do Duque.

Insider tip: Go at 6pm on a Monday when the terrace is quiet and the castle is still golden from the afternoon light. Order the empanadas to start and the flank steak to follow. Bring cash. And if the tango starts, don't fight it.

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See you tomorrow morning.