When grandmothers are irritated with the airlines about hidden fees and sick and tired of being surprised at the airport with another fee, it is time for a change. In fact these fees, especially baggage fees actually discriminate against older passengers. At least let them know the fees upfront so that they can compare prices.
It seems that hidden airline fees impact older travelers with less upper body strength to get carry-on luggage into the overhead bins. These fees also strike at families with young children who need to carry extra luggage on family vacations. Some advocates consider these fees discriminatory against the elderly and families.
However, these fees also strike the everyday passenger. In a recent study conducted by the Consumer Travel Alliance, two out of three passengers were surprised at the airport by unexpected fees and about the same percentage faced unexpected financial strain because of the surprise fees.
The airlines do not tell passengers these fees up front during the buying process. Airlines choose to reveal their fees at the end of the buying process on their own websites. Worse, the airlines refuse to reveal their official fees to any travel agents — the agents on the corner or the online travel agencies such as Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, Orbitz and others. Passengers purchasing from travel agents are faced with hidden fees. That’s more than half of all airline tickets sold in America.
Please to to MadAsHellAboutHiddenFees.com. Sign the petition and tell us your story about airline fees.
Some of the earlier hidden fee segments on CBS
Here is a interview that was the beginning of passenger anger. The airlines began charging these extra fees and managed to surprise their customers, unpleasantly so.
An old Carol Burnett skit about no-frill airlines before the days when it became a not-such-a-laughing-matter
This is a great way to waste about 10 minutes and come away smiling.
Here’s the great Saturday Night Live sketch about airline fees.
Finally, here is a Southwest ad. They are the only airline without baggage fees. Strange, they seem to have the happiest passengers.
Please to to MadAsHellAboutHiddenFees.com. Sign the petition and tell us your story about airline fees.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
