We can all have a travel wish list. I used to have wish lists for where I want to travel. Then, I started a wish list for how I wanted to travel. Today, I have added a new travel wish list for travel policies I want to see instituted.
- I wish full air travel costs, including airfares and fees, were available for comparison shopping.
I want to be able to compare prices across airlines. It is the only way to keep the free market working. - I wish to be treated with dignity.
I wish airlines and airline ticket sales agents, gate personnel, flight attendants, executives, and pilots will treat us like human with the dignity we deserve. - I wish for a more personal space.
I know everyone wants to pay the lowest prices. But, I don’t want less service and space than provided to dogs. How about some humane considerations for humans. - I wish for honest hotel advertising.
The Federal Trade Commission has already promised this change, but never managed to get it done. Consumers need simple truth in advertising that will come when hotels are required to include all mandatory fees in their room rates. Advertising room rates without mandatory fees is false advertising. - I wish airports would post consumer rights for all to see and read.
When baggage is lost, consumers have rights. When passengers are bumped from a flight, they have rights. When baggage is delayed, travelers have rights. When checked bags are delayed and lost, passengers are due refunds from airlines. When some flights are delayed, passengers can get compensation. DOT and the FAA should post clear explanations of basic passengers rights at airports. - I wish for short-term rental growth.
The growth of Airbnb, HomeAway, VRBO and other short-term rental operations is helping to keep lodging prices lower and allowing travelers more choice. Do not let hotels squeeze the consumer benefits of competition out of the lodging market through new regulation. 
I wish airline codesharing was illegal.
When airlines lie to passengers by selling airline tickets using their brand but flying the passengers on another airline, that is simple fraud. Let’s get truth in advertising back into airline travel by eliminating codesharing.- I wish the Montreal Convention becomes more passenger friendly.
A recent Ninth Circuit Court ruling has decimated the protections afforded international travelers through the Montreal Convention. Travelers United and FlyersRights have filed supporting briefs with the Supreme Court to overturn the decision of the Ninth District Court. - I wish all airlines would eliminate change or cancellation fees.
Southwest Airlines can do it. Why can’t all the others? - I wish our air traffic control system was modernized.
Maybe the New Year Gods can get what has been promised, done. Maybe the powers-that-be can light a fire under the DOT and FAA to get the new air traffic control system working. With new technology, planes can fly more directly, airports can handle about 30 percent more flights without infrastructure spending, fuel savings can help the environment, and Americans can conserve fuel. Let’s get the job done!
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.
