The European Commission said on Friday it had launched a probe of airlines to see if they charge different ticket prices depending on where the customer lives.

It said in a statement it had written to 18 airlines asking them whether they had such a practice. The airlines included some of Europe's largest such as Air France, British Airways and Lufthansa.

"The services of the Commission have written today to 18 European airlines asking each of them whether it charges different prices for exactly the same ticket depending on the country of residence of the client and, if so, why," the Commission said in a statement. "Price differences can be as high as 300 percent," it said.

It gave carriers to the end of February to respond. Depending on the replies, it would decide on further action.

"We have received many complaints from European citizens," said EU Commission transport spokesman Gilles Gantelet. "It wants to know if this practice is justified. The Commission feels this practice is discriminatory," he told a news conference.

Gantelet said that low-cost carriers such as Ryanair did not seem to have such policies.

The move came a day after the European Parliament passed a new law to force airlines to double compensation for passengers who are bumped off flights and set new rules for how to treat people whose flights have been delayed or canceled.

(Reuters)