Congress has been hearing about this from the folks back home and a new report released today by the minority staff of the Senate Commerce Committee finds that ancillary fees are increasingly keeping consumers in the dark about the true cost of air travel. In many cases, the cost of changing a flight can be equal to the original cost of the ticket, even if the change is made months in advance. A link in small type to the rules for each segment of a flight from Washington to Orlando with a layover in Chicago spanned 54 printed pages of text.
Second, airlines should also provide better and earlier disclosure about ancillary fees to help consumers compare costs, and place clear disclosures that “preferred seat” charges are optional. When selecting seats, consumers are sometimes presented only with seats for which they must pay an additional fee.
Moreover, the committee’s report found that travelers are often not provided with clear information regarding airline policy for flight cancellation or changes.
The Senate panel is urging airways to raised disclose charges, promptly refund charges for baggage which are delayed greater than six hours on a home flight and restrict fees for altering tickets, amongst different suggestions. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., in a statement.
Nelson said he will seek action from his colleagues when the Senate undertakes legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration. “What’s worse is that many flyers do not study concerning the precise value of their journey till it is too late”.
The results? The airline industry collected more than $38 billion in fees above and beyond ticket prices in 2014.
Jean Medina, a spokeswoman for Airlines for America, an airline industry trade association, rejected the criticisms.
“The fact that a record number of people are traveling this summer further demonstrates that customers always know what they are buying before they purchase”, she added.
United Airlines planes are parked at the terminal at San Francisco global Airport on July 26, 2012 in San Francisco, California.
Seven of eight airlines surveyed by Senate researcher charge fees between $20 and $30 for the first checked bag, with only Southwest Airlines applying such a charge. It says there appears to be no justification for checked bag fees other than increased profit.
The report says it costs airlines next to nothing to carry that extra luggage.
Original article can be found here: http://www.dispatchtimes.com
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