The airlines, which have been hiding fees from customers in order to appear less costly, had a bad week in the national media and on Capitol Hill. Most major media as well as the House Transportation Aviation subcommittee took the airlines to task for not releasing their fees to the public.
As reported by the Consumer Travel Alliance, the airlines have been hiding fees on average by far more than 50 percent. Everyday consumers are not the only ones suffering, major corporations are finding it harder and harder to get information on the plethora of airline fees and contain them on their balance sheets.
The basic stance of the Consumer Travel Alliance is that fees should be disclosed upfront and clearly by the airlines so that they can be included in the purchase process rather than being hidden by the airlines on their own websites and only revealed at the time of purchase or an airline ticket.
If passengers have the ability to compare the total cost of travel rather than only airfares that today don’t reflect the total economic reality, they can make more informed decisions. Clear, understandable, honest information is necessary for competition to flourish. When airlines are allowed to withhold these fees from travel agents, central reservation systems and online travel agents it is an unfair and deceptive practice.
Here is one example of reporting that is certain to make the airlines notice the rising irritation of the flying public.
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.
