US Senate Launches Investigation Into Airline Fee Transparency

Image: Airline fees and revenue.  (Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/Evgen_Prozhyrko)
Image: Airline fees and revenue. (Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/Evgen_Prozhyrko)
Donald Wood
by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:25 AM ET, Tue November 21, 2023

The United States Senate announced it would conduct an investigation into airline fees for baggage, seat selection, ticket changes and other services.

According to Reuters.com, Democratic Senator and Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations chair Richard Blumenthal said fees are confusing and often hidden.

Blumenthal and his team have requested a detailed breakdown from the major airlines in the U.S.—including American, Delta, Frontier, Spirit and United—about why the fees were implemented, how much they make each carrier and the cost to supply each service.

“U.S. airlines increasingly charge ancillary fees that obscure the actual cost of air travel," Blumenthal told Reuters. “These itemized fees are often not disclosed to customers until well into the ticket purchasing process or after a ticket has been purchased, making it difficult for customers to know the true, total cost of a ticket and comparison shop prior to purchase.”

In his research, Blumenthal found data that suggested the top eight airlines in the U.S. collected around $4.2 billion in fees for seat selection. In addition, total revenue from baggage fees increased from $4.9 billion to $6.8 billion between 2018 and 2022.

Last year, the U.S. Transportation Department proposed new rules that would require carriers to disclose fees for baggage, ticket changes and family seating from the first time an airfare is displayed onsite. 

The Department of Transportation is working to approve the new regulations in early 2024.


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