Airline fees make it hard to shop for ideal deal
WASHINGTON — Finding the ideal deal on a flight has become a lot more difficult, thanks to hefty baggage and service fees that consumers often do not know about until they show up at the airline counter, congressional investigators say.
Those fees are not part of the ticket price, meaning they can easily go unseen until it’s too late for the consumer to shop around. Amounting to billions of dollars for the airlines, the fees also are exempt from an excise tax, and some lawmakers want to reclaim that money for the treasury.
Airlines, travel agents, on-line travel services and other ticket distribution channels should be required to disclose fees for checked baggage, changed reservations and other services in a clear and consistent manner, the Government Accountability Office stated in a report out Wednesday.
7 ways to bypass baggage fees
Airlines rake in cash from charges, which means they are around to stay.
Since 2007, many airlines have been charging for services that were traditionally included in the price of a ticket. That’s improved airline bottom lines in a tough economy but raised the ire of travelers who find themselves nickeled and dimed to substantially higher costs.
Besides checked bags, some airlines charge fees for seat selection, extra leg room, prime spots in boarding lines, blankets, pillows, drinks and meals. “Those fees can be an unexpected shock totaling hundreds of dollars,” stated Charles Leocha, director of the Consumer Travel Alliance.
In the last budget year, 10 U.S. airlines collected $7.8 billion in such fees, congressional accountants say. The leader was Delta Air Lines, the world’s largest airline, with $1.6 billion.
Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., who led a House hearing Wednesday on the matter, told airlines that the public will push back “and then Congress will act” if the industry does not show restraint with the fees. “That’s not a threat,” he said. “That’s history.”
Airlines state fees benefit passengers because they grant airlines to keep ticket prices down and consumers pay only for services they use.
“This is a deregulated industry and this is an industry that should be able to charge whatever it opts to charge for services,” stated David Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association, which represents major airlines.
“There is no reason why one passenger should subsidize another for a service he or she doesn’t consume,” Castelveter said. He stated airlines already disclose the fees consumers are most concerned about, like checked bag fees, on their websites.
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Airline fees make it hard to shop for best deal - Travel - Travel Tips ...Airline fees make it hard to shop for best deal, report says ...
Airline Fees Make It Hard to Shop for Best Deal - YouTube
GAO: Airline fees make it hard to shop for best deal | OregonLive.com
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Submited at Thursday, July 15th, 2010 at 4:00 am on Tips by chuck
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